Post #2049459

Giant clams can survive for hours out of water. They actually produce enough oxygen through the action of their photosynthetic algal symbionts to power their respiration for short periods, even with no water to breathe from. But even they have limits, and last year the famous clam garden of Orpheus Island, where 100s of 40-year old specimens were thriving, was wiped out by weeks of low salinity after a storm event. These 4 ft long clams were the legacy of an aquaculture research program from the 80s. Even after the Orpheus Island center was defunded, the clams remained. Hopefully further research can determine whether their loss was simply a result of poor placement (there are mentions of occasional low salinity events in the past), or whether they would have survived if not for increasingly volatile and heavy storms caused by climate change. While the loss of the clam garden was devastating, their presence and spawning helped support several generations of new recruits in the surrounding area! #clamFacts https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2025/march/giant-clam-garden-a-victim-of-severe-weather