Fish and Shellfish - Pounting Fish

The clam is a bivalve that includes many species. It has a shell that can vary from light gray to dark brown or display cream, brown or greyish hues, with striations and well-marked lines, presenting a characteristic lattice pattern. This mollusc lives on the sea bottom, near the coast, or on riverbeds and lagoons, buried in sand or mud. It feeds through filtration, with a diet of microalgae carried by currents, captured through a tubelike structure or siphon. It reproduces in summer.

Crabs are crustaceans that can also survive out of water. Their flat bodies are covered by a hard shell that provides protection. They have long, thin legs that allow them to walk under water, swim and dig. The claws, used to attack and to catch prey, are their first pair of legs. The antennae have several functions, including as sensory organs, allowing them to find food. The protruding eyes can retreat inside the shell for added security. The crab is a nocturnal animal, which usually spends the day hidden between rocks and coral.

The horse mackerel has an elongated, gray body with blue hues on the back and silver shades on the belly and sides. It lives in the northeast Atlantic, the Madeira Archipelago and the Mediterranean Sea, where it can be found from the surface to the bottom of the sea, in coastal areas between 100 to 200 meters deep. It forms large shoals that undertake substantive migrations, feeding on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs. It reproduces from December to April. Other names for the horse mackerel include scad, saurel and European horse mackerel.

The jack mackerel is quite common in the Atlantic Ocean and throughout the Mediterranean. This species is normally found in big shoals all along the Portuguese coast, at moderate depths, feeding on small crustaceans, fish and molluscs. The jack mackerel undertakes considerable migrations and reproduces between December and April.