Influence of wind, rainfall, temperature, and primary productivity, on the biomass of the bivalves Spisula solida, Donax trunculus, Chamelea gallina and Ensis siliqua

Coastal bivalve populations are characterized by large temporal fluctuations, driven by recruitment success dependent on environmental conditions. The present study evaluated the relationship of rainfall, chlorophyll-α, sea surface temperature (SST) and wind, with the biomass of four commercial bivalve species (Spisula solida, Donax trunculus, Chamelea gallina and Ensis siliqua) that occur both along the Barlavento (western region), and the Sotavento (eastern region), along the South coast of Portugal, between 1999 and 2011.