Limited impact of a bioeroding sponge, Cliona sp., on Ostrea chilensis from Foveaux Strait, New Zealand.

Bioeroding sponges can cause extensive damage to aquaculture and wild shellfish fisheries. It has been suggested that heavy sponge infestations that reach the inner cavity of oysters may trigger shell repair and lead to adductor detachment. Consequently, energy provision into shell repair could reduce the energy available for other physiological processes and reduce the meat quality of commercially fished oysters.