Here lies the remains of the last Fan shell on Deeban Spit.
Possibly.
Over the last two years the number of Fan shells poking out of the sea grass on Deeban Spit at low tide has plummeted. Where once there was a field of a thousand gaping shells, there are now almost none, and those that do remain are empty.
I miss them.
Empty shells on oyster bedsFan shells are known locally by the more dramatic, but incorrect name of Razor clams. Yet another animal menace just waiting to extract human blood. They are popular in recipes of an Asian flavour, put “razor clam” in your search engine and cooking pops up first, but you will notice that true Razor clams look like old-school cut-throat razors, while our Fan shells look like fans, or perhaps the ear of a donkey. They are all edible regardless of name.
The big shells out on Deeban Spit are Pinna bicolour, bivalve molluscs in the genus Pinna, latin for ear. Pinna bicolour is a widely distributed species named for the bright iridescence of the inner shell. It is restricted to the sandy seagrass beds where the larvae are able to settle and feed. Research done in the warm waters of Malasia and the cooler waters of South Australia shows that they grow quickly and reach 20cm in length in the first year. By the second year they reach 26 cm and they are full size in the third year at 35 cm. Lucky Fan shells may go on to live well over a decade, the old ones gather epibiota, just like the hull of a boat. Eventually they get tired, weighed down and stop moving. Where the seagrass beds remain there is a good chance the Fan Shells will return.
survivor
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