Sarasota Bay Watch board members with the help of volunteers put the first test batch of hard-shell clams into Sarasota Bay this past week to begin efforts to restore the clam population. For the past year Sarasota Bay Watch, along with its clam industry partners, has been funding the growth of 175,000 hard-shell clams that once large enough will be deposited into Sarasota Bay. These clams were once native and abundant in the bay and promoted cleaner water and reduced the burden of red tide. This first batch of 3,000 clams will serve as a scientific test batch to help Sarasota Bay Watch and Mote Marine Laboratory find the ideal locations within the bay for these clams to thrive again.
Stay tuned in the upcoming months for more exciting announcements as well as volunteer opportunities for the larger scale releases!
