Abstract
One of the maintenance objectives of artificial tidal flats is the maintenance and management of nursery habitats for Ruditappes philippinarum. The Oshima artificial tidal flats was covered with nets as preventive measures against feeding damage for R. philippinalum. However, the feeding damage by Glossaulux didyma which is a kind of the snails continued. The purpose of this study was to clarify a new method to prevent the feeding damage by G. diyima, with due consideration of the geoenvironmental dynamics. We carried out a small field verification experiment to prevent feeding damage by G. didyma. As a result of the field experiments, there was a double effect in the new method of placing gravel stones than the conventional method of covering with nets to prevent feeding damage by G. diyima. Placing of gravel stones also had additional effects of forming rich environment of the biological diversity. We hope that this new method will be widely used and applied for sites where artificial tidal flats are constructed for nursery habitats for R. philippinarum, as well as for biodiversity.
