Friends of the Bay kicked off its Re-Clam the Bay project on May 6 and May 8 by dropping 20,000 adult hard clams into shellfish sanctuary areas in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.
Over the past decade, our local waters have experienced a drastic decline in clam and oyster populations. Friends of the Bay, in cooperation with the Town of Oyster Bay, is trying to reverse the trend by purchasing adult hard clams from area baymen and planting them in the town’s newly established shellfish sanctuary areas. Once planted, the clams will be off-limits to harvesting and left to spawn and help supplement the natural population.
Friends of the Bay is focusing on mature hard clams for this project because they have a higher survival rate than oysters, but are also highly effective at filtering water.
The Oyster Bay-based nonprofit organization is raising money to purchase the clams. One hundred percent of the donations received will go to the Re-Clam the Bay project. People can click here to donate and learn more about the project.
“This is a project Friends of the Bay has discussed doing for some time and it is exciting to see it come to fruition,” said Christine Suter, Friends of the Bay executive director. “Hopefully, this will be a win-win for the environment and everyone involved.”
“We’re thrilled to once again partner with Friends of the Bay on another planting project to help restore our shellfish population and safeguard the integrity of our harbor,” said Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “These efforts are just another example of our joint ongoing commitment to protecting our marine environment.”
Al Samek, past president of the North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association, praised the Re-Clam the Bay project as an effort that could “restart the clamming industry in our waters. We want to say thank you to all who have contributed money to this needed project to repopulate this harbor.”