Asian clams: Clean equipment

Overall effectiveness category Likely to be beneficial
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

75%
Certainty

50%
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

The economic impacts of Asian clams Corbicula spp. might be reduced by the regular cleaning of vulnerable equipment and machinery. Cleaning can often be easily managed and cost-effective.

Study locations

Key messages

A study in Portugal found that mechanical removal and regular cleaning of industrial pipes or addition of a sand filter were effective methods of permanently removing or reducing numbers of Asian clams, respectively.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A study conducted in 1980-2010 at a power station and drinking water treatment plant in Portugal (Rosa et al. 2011) found that subjecting structures infested by the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea to cleaning, maintenance and sand filtration prevented or reduced re-infestation. At the power station, cleaning and maintenance procedures completely removed clam populations from the bypass channel of the power station and prevented re-infestation. At the treatment plant, installation of a multilayer sand-filter downstream from the raw water reservoir significantly reduced the amount of Asian clams passing through into the waterworks. Of the facilities managers interviewed, three out of 420 drinking water plants and two out of six power plants provided details on clam control. Managers were interviewed about past or current occurrence of clam infestation episodes, the types of structures affected, interventions in place and their degree of success. Interventions included mechanically removing and washing out clams, shortening the period between filter maintenance and regularly replacing sand in the multilayer sand filter.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Rosa I.C., Pereira J.L., Gomes J. , Saraiva P.M., Goncalves F. & Costa R. (2011) The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea in the European freshwater-dependent industry: a latent threat or a friendly enemy? Ecological Economics, 70, 1805-1813.

Please cite as:

Aldridge, D., Ockendon, N., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Some Aspects of Control of Freshwater Invasive Species. Pages 555-87 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Control of Freshwater Invasive Species

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Category
Asian clams: Drain the invaded water body Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	Synopsis Link
Asian clams: Exposure to parasites Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	Synopsis Link
Asian clams: Remove by hand Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	Synopsis Link