Do shellfish escape from farms?
As shellfish are relatively sedentary species, are usually contained in bags, socks, tubes, cages, or within sections of beach, and as they attach themselves willingly to a suitable substrate, cultured shellfish normally stay within the culture zone. Some shellfish may be subject to ‘drop-off’ from a longline, for example, but as shellfish drop-offs are a direct loss for the farmer, careful prevention procedures are employed to minimize drop-offs. As a result, shellfish drop-off has little effect upon the surrounding environment.
