Boothbay Register publishes DMC release on Damariscotta River shellfish study
The Boothbay Register published a University of Maine Darling Marine Center release about a new study of shellfish in the Damariscotta River. The study was led by Kara Pellowe and supported by a grant from the Broad Reach Fund. Researchers counted soft-shell clams, quahogs, razor clams, mussels and oysters living in the intertidal flats managed by Damariscotta and Newcastle in areas identified as important for the fishery, the release states. Shellfish abundances varied among locations and soft-shell clams were more abundant in high intertidal areas than lower on the shore, according to the release. The researchers found very few clams of commercial size, but also set out recruitment boxes to capture young clams and protect them from predation throughout the growing season. “The protection definitely made a difference,” said Heather Leslie, DMC director and Pellowe’s adviser. “When we sampled the mud next to the boxes, we found very few young clams.”