why are clams so hard to find these days?

[Kalkbreath]

Japan gets many of its clams outside of the legal frame work of CITES.
The same way they get protected animal products like rhino horns and Bear gale batters
There are plenty of Blue squamosa in the waters of Bali, its just that the INDO CITES organization wont allow them for export legally.

Keep in mind that there is a real shortage of legal Tridacna clams world wide.
The largest exporter of wild maxima clams Vanuatu , just got closed down last month. (Most likely for good.)

And Fiji and the Solomons have very tiny quotas on wild Tridacna.

Even farmed clams like ORAs Marshall island clam farm has been dry for over a year now.


Other then Vietnam(also known as the land of pinched mantel and other bivalve communicable diseases) there really are no legal wild clam sources any longer as of 2008.

 

[tsutaoka]

thanks Kalkbreath

thanks Kalkbreath

very informative. legal clam supply sounds like an ongoing issue for US hobbiest

 

[nanoreefbro]

I can see if I can do some research on this.. My wife is Japanese so I will see if she can get more info on this..

 

[Big load]

Hey KALK where do you get your info , you go on these threads like your God of clams and when someone asks for your references your not heard from again until you pop up on another topic. Where is the link to there are plenty of blue sqaumosa but indo cite wont allow them for export.Vanautu getting closed last month,Japan gets most clams illegally I can't beleive what your saying is true if you won't tell your source so everyone can read it for themselves

 

[Kalkbreath]

I'm in the clam business.
I know the clam business inside and out because its my job and my passion.

My information comes from a five year on going business relationship with the clam importers and clam farmers over seas.

These islanders dont really have much contact with the outside world, let alone the World Wide Web.

Even though the Web holds vast amounts of information..... it holds very little in the way of useful Tridacna husbandry information and even less info concerning the clam business.

.....So in answer to your question ; you wont find their opinions or writings on some web page that you can click on.

For now just take what I say as a new source of info with a unique insider perspective and combined it with the existing available online knowledge base.

 

[nanoreefbro]

Well my wife did some research and alot of the clams in Japan are grown in Okinawa. I attached a few links.. She also said that they are pretty cheap as far as price. You can find a 4" clam for $20..

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/e-tiara/ti-0978/

http://www.cpfarm.com/shop/shakogai.shtml

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/bottomline/musekitui-3/

 

[Big load]

WOW check out the last clam on the second website. Does anybody know what that is ?

 

[nanoreefbro]

That looks like a Gigas clam...

 

[Big load]

It also looks like a hippopus or a T. roserai but I have not seen a pic of those in a long time

 

[mbbuna]

its H. hippopus

 

[mbbuna]

this is what the shell looks like

 

[Big load]

That was an odd angle on the picture and it seemed like alot of color in the mantle compared to the few seen around these parts(usually greenish gold) mostly what I have seen on Clam's Direct.

 

[adtravels]

you get some killer clams over here in thailand, crocea, squamosa and maxima, Cray colours (i have a squamie with gold dots and a blue rim) they are really cheap $10 -$15 US. The problem is again they are illegally collected, and illegal to export so its all black market, it does more harm than good, if they legalised it they could start farms etc and regulate the collection.

 

[Big load]

What happens if you got caught with those clams in your tank?

 

[adtravels]

bribe the policeman, this is thailand

 

[skinz78]

Yeah, but how do they know the clams are illegal or not?

 

[adtravels]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11784133#post11784133 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by skinz78
Yeah, but how do they know the clams are illegal or not?

Its illegal to keep clams per-i-od.

 

[Big load]

I'd sure hate to end up in one of those hell hole prisons over there

 

[skinz78]

I was recently told from a very reputable online vendor that the supplyers over there actually read these forums and see what is in high demand. They then hold those clams longer to make the prices go up.

LOL I hate blue squmosa's and them black and white maxima's are just hideous, why would anyone want one. LOL

 

[adtravels]

Mate,
They don't go to the hassle of growing or holding clams, a dude with a chisel and a mask with a hose under it connected to a compressor hacks them off the reef while getting BEnt.
Sad truth but thats how most of our livestock gets collected.

I would also not like to end up in a hell hole prison, thanks.