Clam diggers' use of salt to lure prey damaging coastal ecology, conservationists say

Clam diggers may be damaging a Yuen Long coastal mudflat by using salt to draw the molluscs from their burrows.

Conservationists warn that the technique can be detrimental to many other organisms co-existing in the mudflat, but the government's conservation officials say they are powerless to stop the practice.

At Ha Pak Nai, clam diggers have found that they can abandon their digging tools and avoid expending any effort by simply sprinkling salt down the burrows of razor shells to force them to the surface.

Kevin Laurie, who has been doing conservation work at Ha Pak Nai since 2008, said he had never seen the method being used before.

"It just appeared out of nowhere," he said.

Recently, at least 20 people had been using salt to hunt the shells, Laurie said.

He said usual clam-digging activities had already destroyed some seagrass beds, and was concerned the latest technique would inflict even more damage on the ecology.