Modelling the growth of Tapes philippinarum in Northern Adriatic lagoons

The paper describes a bioenergetic individual-based model of the growth of Tapes philippinarum, a bivalve mollusc reared in the lagoons of the Northern Adriatic Sea. The model, which simulates the evolution of the size of an average individual, has been calibrated using different sets of experimental data collected in the lagoons of Venice and Gore, and has been validated against a 3 yr long, independent series of field measurements of the average size of a cohort. The formulations here proposed for describing the dependence of the gain and loss terms on water temperature and food ration have not been employed in relation to this species before, and allow one to apply the model also in eutrophic conditions. Possible applications of the model as a tool for site selection and management implementations are illustrated