It is a multi-million dollar commercial industry that legally trades marine animals. Giant clams are popular aquarium animals because of their beautiful colours and being easy to care for. In 1990, U.S. Micronesian Mariculture Demonstration Center (MMDC) reported that USD3000 per month was grossed from the sales of T.derasa (a species of the giant clams) for the aquarium trade.
The main importer is said to be the USA, accounting for about 70% of the trade, while the main exporters are from Southeast Asia, namely the Philippines and Indonesia. According to WWF Philippines, both countries supply approximately 85 percent of the global demand in the marine aquarium trade. This has cause over-exploitation of the reefs and harmed its rich biodiversity. Only 1 percent of the Philippines reefs are now in excellent condition, said by University of Philippines Marine Science Institute. A degradation in the habitat of the coral reefs would then inevitably harm the survival of the giant clams too.
Despite the existence of some numbers of the giant clam aquarium trade, there is still a lack of exact trade data of the giant clams for aquarium and its sustainability. This has been a problem until 2016, when a Marine Aquarium Biodiversity and Trade Flow database was published to capture the export for the aquarium trade. This was aimed at increasing the efficacy and efficiency of the law enforcement on illegal trading. Yet, only in the long run, will the known volume and diversity of the trade increase the sustainability of the trade, reduce poaching and indirectly benefit people’s livelihood.
Head over to Aquarium Trade Data to learn more about them!