GROWTH OF LITTORINA LITTOREA IN THE MA DE AVEIRO (NW PORTUGAL): PERSPECTIVES FOR AQUACULTURE

摘要

The periwinkle Littorina littorea (L.) is a common prosobranch gastropod of the North Atlantic. The species is of economic interest in Portugal as it is, highly appreciated as shellfish food. It is sold in hypermarkets or traditional markets throughout the country and most of this product is imported from Northern European countries (e.g. UK). The current price of the periwinkle to the final costumer is about 8 euros kg~(-1). The species is harvested by local fishermen and occasional visitors by handin the low tide and has been overexploited over recent years. This work aims to achieve basic data on the growth of L. littorea for its southern geographical distribution in Europe to evaluate the time length of production cycle for aquaculture purposes.