Rob Johnson, Managing Director of Sea Pact, a non-profit organization comprised of nine North American seafood companies, announced recently that DEI’s proposal (Continued Field Trials to Assess the Efficacy of Methods to Enhance Wild and Cultured Stocks of Soft-Shell Clams, Mya arenaria) has received funding for the 2017 field season. According to DEI’s field coordinator in the Freeport, Maine area, Sara Randall, the project in northern Casco Bay will “provide funds to continue DEI’s historic, large-scale, applied research program to examine the effectiveness of different methods designed to protect shellfish from invasive green crabs and other predators, and to restore soft-shell clam populations. The project is comprised of large sets of field trials deployed in the intertidal gradient which tests various hypotheses involving predator exclusion and habitat modification and will result in the enhancement of wild and cultured soft-shell clams. It also involves commercially licensed clammers in the development and implementation of these adaptive management practices. The ultimate goal is to maintain and increase harvests so that clammers and the soft-shell clam supply chain can continue to make a living and profit, and consumers can continue to enjoy this nutritious protein source.” Sea Pact is a group of leading North American seafood companies dedicated to driving stewardship and continuous improvement of social, economic, and environmental responsibility throughout the global seafood supply chain. DEI received similar funding from Sea Pact in 2014 and 2016 that was used to help coordinate field activities involving clammers and researchers in Freeport, Maine.
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