Giant Clam Shell

Overview

Tridacna Gigas is the largest species from all clams and is widely known as the Giant Clam Shell. Seven out of nine species of clams live in the sea of Indonesia, two of these, Tridacna Gigas and Tridacna Derasa, are the rarest species that exist in the world. These species live in the coral reefs or coral fault areas with depth of 20 meters. The shells could grow to more than one meter of length and reach 200 kg of weight, with a very thick base.

In the past, giant clam shells were used as the material for high quality terrazzo or tiles production. Giant clam shells are also used to make cups, ashtrays, flower vases, and other jewelry items. Therefore, the number of clams living in the sea are vastly dropping globally because of over exploitation. Its high value is the main reason of over exploitation in nature. Despite its easiness to catch giant clams, they have a slow reproduction cycle and slow growth. The rate of reproduction cycle and growth are much slower than the rate of harvest, which makes giant clams very vulnerable to exploitation. To achieve commercial size and to be able to reproduce, giant clams need 4 to 6 years. Pollution, environmental damage and all activities at the coral reefs, such as, fishing and coral harvesting, are also main threats for giant clams.

Therefore, giant clams are protected by several laws written in the CITES (Convention On International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources).