Cockles in a sieve (IMAGE)
Caption
Better water quality in Wales’ most famous cockle area is linked with smaller cockles that have a higher mortality rate, a new survey of fifty years of data has revealed. Cockles have been harvested along the south Wales coast for centuries. The Burry Inlet and Loughor estuary, near Swansea, is a major habitat for the popular and widespread common cockle (Cerastoderma edule). Like other bivalve species, cockle populations are prone to change, either because of sudden or gradual alterations in the natural environment, or because of human activity. The new research offers more insight into this variation and into long-term trends, which will help with conservation and management of cockle stocks.
Credit
Dr Ruth Callaway, Swansea University
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