EDA Clam Farm Project
(Edmunds, ME)In April 2007, DEI began a clam farm demonstration project with clammers and the shellfish committee in the Washington County township of Edmunds. The project is funded with a grant from the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA). Sixteen clammers/farmers are participating, and the farms are located near Route 1 adjacent to Tide Mill Farm.
Upper Left: Totes with hatchery-reared juvenile clams. Each tote contains approximately 200,000 clams – enough for one farm. Individual farms consist of fifteen plots (20-ft x 14-ft) that are covered with a plastic mesh netting to deter crabs, gulls, and other common predators.
Upper Right: A clammer planting seed into one of his farm plots.
Lower Left: Securing nets. The edge of each net is forced into the muddy sediments by stepping it into the mud. Nets will protect clams until they have reached a size of about 1-inch in length (ca. November 2007). Once the clams are that size, the nets are removed and stored for use in future plantings.
Lower Right: A single clam farm showing fifteen netted plots. The Styrofoam toggles that are visible under each net, allow the net to rise slightly off the bottom during tidal inundation. This enables the clams to feed without interference from the netting.
