How do shellfish farmers feed their shellfish?
The majority of shellfish farmed commercially in Canada are bivalve molluscs, and depend on an entirely natural food source from the ocean. They feed on plankton, decomposed macrophytes and detritus from the water column. Most bivalve shellfish are known as filter feeders. As water flows past the shellfish, it is pumped through the gills. Food particles in the water, such as phytoplankton, are trapped on the gill surfaces and are transferred to the labial palp, the “mouth”, (located at the forward end of the gills) where it is sorted for digestion. Shellfish farmers do not have to feed their stock as the food source is completely natural and readily available. However, the availability of natural food sources is a prime consideration when searching for a site to culture shellfish.
