Leslie quoted in Maine Public article on wild oyster and softshell clam populations
Heather Leslie, professor in UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, was recently quoted in a Maine Public article about the rise in wild oyster populations and decline of softshell clams in the midcoast region.
There’s no single reason for the softshell clam population’s decline, Leslie said.
“We know that the ocean environment is changing; the chemistry and the temperature of the water, of this estuary and other Maine estuaries, have changed through time,” she said. “We know that the green crabs have taken advantage of some of those changes in ocean conditions, and they’re really voracious predators. And we know that many Maine mudflats are heavily harvested by people as well.”