SPRINKLING - A NEW METHOD OF DISTRIBUTING LIVE ALGAE FOOD IN MARINE COASTAL PONDS USED FOR MANILA CLAM TAPES-PHILIPPINARUM (ADAMS AND REEVE) INTENSIVE CULTURE

Sprinkling, an agricultural irrigation technique, has been tested for the intensive culture of Manila clams up to marketable size (35-50 mm) in coastal ponds 400 m(2) in area. The sprinkling system is used fbr the distribution of seawater and live algal food Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Clev. Sprinkling is a simple, low cost and efficient method of food distribution which resolves the major problem of decreasing biva lve growth associated with single point water entry in small-scale rac eways. Uniform growth obtained with sprinkling is principally due to a n even scattering of food over the whole surface area of large-scale p onds.