Observations on the fishery for Chamelea gallina between Porto Falconera and Punta Sabbioni (Gulf of Venice, Italy)

For many years the Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758) fishery has been an important activity along the eastern Italian coast. Fishing vessels use hydraulic dredging gear and the numbers of boats, as well as the landings, are controlled by the Italian Ministry of the Merchant Navy. In 1986, research carried out in the Gulf of Venice between Porto Falconera and Punta Sabbioni showed a characteristic size distribution of clams from the coast to offshore that was influenced by fishing activity. Near the shore (up to a 3 m depth), where fishing is prohibited, clams were large but less abundant, while in the deeper fished areas sometimes only small clams were found.