The Filipino Clam or Venerupis philippinarum, also known as the fake clam or caparozzolo, native to Japan, has been introduced in Europe and the Mediterranean, in particular in the Adriatic Sea, mainly for commercial purposes.
The ideal habitat for the Filipino clam is a salty environment with a sandy and muddy seabed of low depth, but you can find them or breed them in sandy or muddy seabeds anywhere, provided they have good oxygenation. Their harvest is done manually , or with the use of rakes. There are also harvesting methods which use more advanced equipment such as boats called ‘vongolari’ equipped with hydraulic dredges, however these collection methods damage the seabed.
