Intertidal System
Intertidal farming refers to systems in which shellfish are exposed to air during the low tide of each tidal cycle. These systems include both bottom (beach) and near-bottom (epibenthic) techniques.
Managing and maintaining productive intertidal growing areas is no different than land agriculture. The substrate will be cleared and prepared for planting. Both oyster and clam farming may require substrate improvement to reach acceptable levels of productivity. The area will be seeded and, in many cases, the seeded plots are protected from predators by overlaying them with mesh that is then secured into place. The plots will be tended regularly. Farmers will develop and maintain an inventory control system to know what was planted when and how it is performing.
- Clams perform best in a substrate composed of a mixture of mud, sand, pea gravel and some shell fragments. Improvement for silted beaches may mean gravelling while for other sites it involves debris and rock removal.
- In oyster farming, intertidal grow-out systems include beach distribution of seeded shell cultch as well as oysters grown on stakes, racks and intertidal longlines. Near-bottom methods have been adopted on sites where bottom conditions are not suitable for growing oysters; e.g., soft mud, silt. Nursery rearing of oysters on shell cultch or tubes may also be done intertidally.
