Asian clam – assessing dry ice as a control method (2018)

Cold as ice: a novel eradication and control method for invasive Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, using pelleted dry ice.

This study explored the effectiveness of pelleted dry ice on the mortality of the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in laboratory settings and simulated clam patches. The study assessed C. fluminea mortality through variations of;

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. dry ice pellet type;
            2. clam size range;
            3. density of clams;
            4. exposure time;
            5. volume of water;
            6. direct or indirect dry ice application; and
            7. the presence of gravel or mud in five unique experiments.

Mortality rates of C. fluminea after 24 hours varied, although higher mortality rates occurred following longer exposure to dry ice pellets. While these results have shown that dry ice has the potential to be used as an effective control measure of C. fluminea, more research needs to occur in-situ to assess different sites’ parameters, including water currents, water depth and C. fluminea densities.

Coughlan, N., Walsh, D., Caffrey J., Davis, E., Lucy F., Cuthbert, R. & Dick, J. (2018). Cold as Ice: A novel eradication and control method for invasive Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, using pelleted dry ice. Management of Biological Invasions. 9. pp. 463-474.

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