Periods of Spawning and Setting of the Soft-Shelled Clam, Mya arenaria, at Solomons, Maryland

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Abstract
A spawning and setting study of the soft-shelled clam under natural conditions was conducted in the lower Patuxent River. Clam larvae and spat samples were taken weekly from the end of a pier in approximately 6 feet of water. Periods of abundance which were correlated with daily surface water temperatures and salinities, indicated two annual periods of spawning and setting. Early umbone larvae first appeared in May when the mean surface temperature was 16.7°C (range 15.0 to 18.5) and a mean salinity of 10.1‰ (range 8.2 to 11.5). The second spawning period began in September or October when temperatures decreased to a mean of 21.7°C (range 19.0 to 24.8) and a salinity of 15.5‰ (range 14.2 to 16.9). Setting usually followed the appearance of larvae by one or two weeks. Examination of the gonad of the soft-shelled clam from Maryland waters revealed that the two peaks of spawning are the result of two separate maturations and not a cessation in spawning due to the high summer temperatures.

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