SM Investments Corp. and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) recently held a true giant clam seeding at the Pico de Loro Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas, during which they released a hundred endangered taklobos (Tridacna gigas) grown by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) in Bolinao, Pangasinan.

The clam seeding coincided with the groundbreaking of Pico de Loro Cove, one of thirteen enclaves at Hamilo Coast, an eco-tourism destination that SMIC is developing.

Occurring mainly in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the true giant clam is the world’s largest bivalve mollusk. It can exceed 5 feet in length and 570lbs when mature.

The true giant clam’s mantle provides a home for symbiotic dinoflagellate algae called zooxanthellae, which give the clam food and lend it its color, making each mollusk unique.

Not only does the taklobo serve as a nursery for fish, invertebrates such as gobies, blennies, and crabs, and sedentary organisms such as sponges, tunicates, coral, and algae, it also acts as a filter, sifting planktonic debris from the ocean for food and improving overall water quality.

Lory Tan and David Valdes from the WWF-Philippines and SMIC treasurer Elisabeth Sy present the true giant clams to the media prior to the actual seeding. [Photo credit: Kaye Sico]

Once common throughout Philippine reefs, this marine species has been depleted due to excessive hunting for food, pet, and curio trade.

The UP MSI, led by Dr. Suzanne Mingoa-Licuanan, has attempted to restore natural clam populations, reseeding more than a thousand giant clams in over fifty sites nationwide.

Baby and juvenile clams, called “recruits,” have appeared in ten demonstration sites where the clams have been transplanted, a sign that efforts are paying off.

For more information about WWF-Philippines and its projects, visit the official Website