HUBUNGAN PANJANG CANGKANG TERHADAP BERAT DAGING KERANG MENTARANG (Pholas orientalis) DI PERAIRAN PANTAI REMIS, KECAMATAN PANTAI LABU, KABUPATEN DELI SERDANG

Abstrak

The mentarang clam is a soft bodied animal (phylum Mollusca) belonging to the class Bivalvia or Pelecypoda. Local names for the mentarang clam (Pholas orientalis) include bintarang, kepah keris, kerang aceh, and tembarang. This study aims to determine the relationship between shell length and meat weight of the mentarang clam in the waters of Remis Beach, Pantai Labu Subdistrict, Deli Serdang Regency. The research was conducted over two months, specifically from August to September 2024. The sampling was performed during the lowest tide utilizing a systematic method. Morphometric parameters measured included shell length and meat weight, utilizing a caliper with an accuracy of 0.01 mm and an analytical digital scale. Data were analyzed utilizing simple linear regression to determine the relationship between length and meat weight. The significance test results (p = 0.00 < 0.05) indicated that the relationship is statistically significant, demonstrating that shell length significantly influences the meat weight of the mentarang clam with a contribution of 35.4%, while the remaining 64.6% is influenced by other factors. The growth pattern formed is negative allometric (b < 3), indicating that shell length growth is faster compared to the increase in meat weight. These results suggest that mentarang clams at the research location tend to experience elongating growth rather than a massive increase in body mass.