Manila Clam (Tapes philippinarum Adams & Reeve, 1852) in the Lagoon of Marano and Grado (Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy): Socio-Economic and Environmental Pathway of a Shell Farm - Aquaculture and the Environment: A Shared Destiny - page 55

3.2 Market and trade
About 70% of Italian production is consumed internally, while the remaining is exported,
mostly towards European countries, Spain primarily. Due to increased consumption during
summer months, in just two months (August and December), 20-25% of all Italian
production is collected and commercialized (Turolla, 2008). Consumption is almost
exclusively directed to live product trade, only in the last years product processing is
starting to take part on the market.
4. Lagoon of Marano and Grado
The Marano and Grado Lagoon is located in the northern Adriatic Sea covering an area of
about 160 km 2 with a length of nearly 32 km and an average width of 5 km (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. The Lagoon of Marano and Grado
It is the more eastern among all the delta and lagoon systems on the Adriatic coast (Po River
Delta, Lagoon of Venice and Lagoon of Caorle). This wetland system is delimited, moving
westward, by the Isonzo and Tagliamento Rivers deltas, and is separated from the Adriatic
Sea by the presence of six barrier islands (1.6 to 6 km long, for a total length of 20 km; 1-2 km
wide). These latter roughly subdivide the lagoon in hydraulic sub-basins (Marano, S.
Andrea, Porto Buso, Morgo, Grado and Primero; ARPA-FVG, 2006).