Title: Application of the Adjusted Sharpness Index and Estimated Condition Factor to Compare Growth Conditions of the Blood Cockle, <i>Tegillarca granosa</i>, in Penang, Perak, and Selangor, in Malaysia
Abstract:Long-term and short-term growth performance indices (sharpness index adjusted for size dependency, SIadj and estimated condition factor, CF, respectively) were applied to the blood cockle, Tegillarca ...Long-term and short-term growth performance indices (sharpness index adjusted for size dependency, SIadj and estimated condition factor, CF, respectively) were applied to the blood cockle, Tegillarca granosa collected from four localities (Bukit Kecil Village, Penang; Kuala Sepetang, Perak; Buloh River, Selangor; and Teluk Kumbar, Penang) along the west coast of Malaysia to compare the environmental quality of the culture grounds of the blood cockle. We observed spatio-temporal patterns of the two indices and found that CF negatively correlated with SIadj, indicating that an elongate-shaped cockle had a large mass of soft tissue where the seasonal trend of these two indices matched the maturation and spawning cycles in Bukit Kecil Village, where cockles showed good growth, and the difference in the correlation slopes exhibited suitability of local variations for cockle culture. With a wide variation range, CF negatively correlated with sediment's oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), suggesting that the dietary benefit from eutrophication overcame the risk of sub-lethal hypoxia.Read More