2012. Review of Significant Trade - Cites

Tridacna spp.
Wabnitz et al., 2003; Kinch and Teitelbaum, 2008).
Tridacna spp. were reported to be frequently used for subsistence purposes in the Solomon
Islands (Horokou et al., 2010), and Hviding (1993) considered T. maxima to be of medium
importance as a food source.
Trade: As the Solomon Islands has not yet submitted a CITES annual report, trade figures
are based on data submitted by importers. According to data in the CITES Trade Database,
direct trade in T. maxima from the Solomon Islands reported by importers 2000-2010
primarily comprised live specimens, of which 57 per cent were wild-sourced, 17 per cent
were captive-bred and 6 per cent were captive-born (Table 4). In addition, small quantities of
captive-bred and wild-sourced shells were imported in 2000 and 2005, respectively. Imports
of live specimens increased overall between 2000 and 2005, but from 2006 onwards no trade
in wild specimens was reported.
Table 4. Direct trade in Tridacna maxima from the Solomon Islands, 2000-2010 (all reported by
importers). (No trade was reported in 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2010.)
Term Source 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2009 Total
live W 453 162 721 2 2202 2038 5578
C 537 314 789 119 1517 350 3626
F 350 37 202 589
shells W 100 100
C 21 21
Source: CITES Trade Database, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
Indirect trade in T. maxima from the Solomon Islands over the period 2000-2010 comprised
901 live specimens as reported by importers and 202 live specimens according to reexporters.
No re-exports of T. maxima originating in the Solomon Islands have been reported
since 2006.
In the aquarium trade, the species was reported to fetch higher prices than other Tridacna
species, USD 25-249 for individuals 4-13 cm in size (Solomon Islands Consolidated
Legislation, 1996).
Management: The trade and export of wild-sourced specimens is banned in the Solomon
Islands (Solomon Islands Consolidated Legislation, 1996), however trade and export of
farmed specimens is permitted (Solomon Islands, 2009). Subsistence harvesting is not
regulated (Green et al., 2006), but it was reported that traditional management practices may
exist in some areas (Kinch et al., 2006). The species is also kept in village-based clam gardens,
although not as commonly as T. gigas (Hviding, 1993).
In large-scale grow-out trials conducted in 11 village farms in the Solomon Islands,
T. maxima reached a mean size of 7.84 cm (±1.49 s.d.) in 19 months with a survival rate of
38.9 per cent (± 16.6. s.d.) (Hart et al., 1998).
Tridacna squamosa Lamarck, 1819: Solomon Islands.
Biology: Tridacna squamosa commonly reaches 30 cm in shell length, with a maximum of 40-
45 cm (Raymakers et al., 2003; Kinch and Teitelbaum, 2010). It was found to reach sexual
maturity as a male at 4 years of age, and as hermaphrodite at 6 years (Raymakers et al.,
2003). The species was reported to have a unique appearance, with blade-like scales of
varying colours in its shell (Kinch and Teitelbaum, 2010; Lukan and Brough, 2011b).
T. squamosa is often found attached to the surface of coral reefs, preferring protected habitats,
where it may be found from shallow water up to 20 m in depth (Kinch and Teitelbaum,
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