The largest individuals with the longest siphons bury themselves at the greatest depths. "L. lutraria" is a filter feeder. It draws in water through one siphon and expels it through the other. Respiration takes place as the water current passes over the gills. Waste is periodically expelled through the fourth pallial opening which can also be used for expulsion of water from the mantle cavity. Trawling may damage or remove the tips of the siphons and bottom feeding fish may nip them off but the animal can regenerate the inner layers over the course of a few days. Hydraulic blade dredge fishing takes place for razor clams, "Ensis spp.", in Scotland and the process was studied to examine its impact. Bottom trawling of the seabed is often preceded by a sand fluidation process designed to loosen the sediment. Dredging damages a considerable portion of the benthic megafauna including "L. lutraria", however this species tends to live at greater depths than is reached by the process. Nevertheless, between 20% and 100% are damaged in a single dredge haul. Some individuals are undamaged but left lying on the surface and it has been found that their ability to rebury themselves is limited. Unlike razor clams, they normally spend their lives in one spot and the foot is relatively small and mainly used for anchorage rather than digging. Any animal unable to rebury itself rapidly is likely to fall prey to the scavengers that move in after a trawl has passed. Such studies are of importance in assessing the ecological consequence and sustainability of fisheries.