The Asiatic clam (Corbicula manilensis), a species introduced into U. S. waters, has spread rapidly, and its ability to survive, reproduce, and spread has caused concern. Aquatic biologists suspect that the clams may crowd out indigenous mollusks, and the animals sometimes plug water intakes and leave shell deposits that interfere with sand and gravel operations. The toxicity of 20 commonly used fishery chemicals to the Asiatic clam was determined to evaluate hazards to a nontarget aquatic invertebrate and to assess the potential of the chemicals for controlling clam populations. Among six piscicides and two lampricides tested, antimycin was most toxic to the clam; the 96-h LC50 was 0.065 mg/L. Among three therapeutants and two disinfectants tested, nifurpirinol was the most toxic; the 96-h LC50 was 7.60 mg/L. All of the compounds were less toxic to the clam than to fish. As a nontarget organism, this clam would be safe in water treated with any of the tested fishery chemicals at recommended use pattern concentrations. None of the chemicals have potential for controlling unwanted populations of these clams.
