Results summary

Restructuring of licensing scheme, to reduce the number of leases;

Encouraged farmers to experiment with alternative culture strategies, including mechanized harvest;

Evaluate the stocking density and area of natural seed beds;

Established an integrated, transparent disease monitoring scheme that also involves the stakeholders

Many growers lease small farms;

Mixed cohort plots are standard culture practice

Oyster culture in some areas of the Ria Formosa initially takes place on trestles, than they are placed on the sediment for growout;

Sources of seed are an issue for both clam and oyster culture;

Import of oyster seed from contaminated areas

Culture practice

Regular analysis of timing and spatial scale of mortality, to build up a multi-year (decadal) pattern of occurrence;

Implement regular mechanical mulching;

Identification of mortality episodes during/after periods of high precipitation

High summer mortality;

Stronger symptoms of gill disease (dermo) due to the protozoan pathogen Perkinsus marinus;

Excessive growth of opportunistic seaweeds such as Ulva, and seagrasses such as Zostera

Clam mortality