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t
may come as a surprise to some, or serve as a friendly reminder
to others, that the soft-shell clam industry in south-western
New Brunswick is at a critical state. Over-harvesting
practices, coastal development, pollution, agricultural run-off,
invasive species predation and natural variation in Mya arenaria
recruitment levels have escorted the clam industry to the brink
of collapse. Unless something is changed, a clam harvest may be
non-existent in the very near future. These changes can come
in many forms such as best-management practices, improved
wastewater treatment, policy with regulation and enforcement, as
well as co-operation and education among the industries
stakeholders.
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One way Eastern Charlotte Waterways is
trying to mitigate these state of affairs is through research
into clam growth, survival and settlement. By better
understanding the best habitat requirements and environmental
conditions for growth and survival, we can develop guidelines
and protocols to assist current policy, regulation and
management practices in place. Our research involves
developing methods to retain settling spat each spawning season,
establishment of a broodstock to increase local recruitment and
investigate transferable aquaculture and reseeding techniques
that could be used to re-populate the soft-shell clam barren
shore-lines of southern New Brunswick. |
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