Maine
Maine researcher wants to know if bigger is better when it comes to clam reproduction
In relation to clams, does dimension actually matter? One Maine scientist is on a quest to seek out out.
Involved for the way forward for the state’s second most respected fishery, Brian Beal, a marine ecology professor on the College of Maine at Machias and the director of analysis at Downeast Institute, is embarking on a examine to find out if massive tender shell clams produce extra eggs than their smaller counterparts.
If, like lobsters, jumbo clams do spawn exponentially extra eggs, it may justify taking one other take a look at statewide conservation measures to protect the dwindling variety of clams alongside Maine’s coast.
“The clam fishery is in bother in Maine,” mentioned Dianne Tilton, the pinnacle of the Downeast Institute, which discovered earlier this month that the federal authorities would fund the examine. “[This work] may encourage the trade to place an higher dimension restrict to assist productiveness on the flats.”
The technical time period for what Beal is exploring is fecundity, or the power to provide offspring. Little is understood concerning the fecundity of clams, however Beal suspects that the larger the clam, the bigger the variety of eggs.
He additionally plans to look into whether or not egg manufacturing is influenced by the place clams are within the tidal flats and the place they’re alongside the Maine coast.
“Nobody’s actually addressed the query of fecundity when it comes to dimension, when it comes to tidal peak, when it comes to area of the coast,” Beal mentioned.
For some animals, getting older and bigger can finally hinder replica. Take people, as an example.
“Not many 80-year olds are having infants,” Beal mentioned.
For different species, the larger the higher. Lobsters and sea urchins each produce exponentially extra eggs the bigger they get and have authorized protections that drive fishermen to throw them again in the event that they’re caught above a sure dimension.
There have been makes an attempt to implement one thing related for clams, however they by no means had strong scientific backing. In 2017, a invoice proposed a 4-inch most dimension restrict on clams, in addition to dropping the prevailing 2-inch minimal dimension to 1.5 inches.
The measure failed after developing in opposition to opposition from clammers, seafood sellers and the Division of Marine Assets, largely for the decrease minimal. In 2019, the state handed a invoice that allowed native municipalities to enact stricter laws on minimal and most clam dimension.
Gouldsboro was the primary – and stays one of many few – in Maine to enact a 4-inch most dimension and has had buy-in from its native clammers, mentioned Mike Pinkham, the city’s shellfish warden.
“It appeared logical that bigger clams would produce extra spat,” he mentioned.
Clammers didn’t appear to thoughts as a result of there isn’t as a lot of a requirement for bigger clams.
Beal’s examine will contain taking clams from Brunswick, Bremen and Jonesport subsequent spring and inducing them to spawn in a lab. He’ll then evaluate the variety of eggs launched by completely different sizes.
The analysis is going on because the clam fishery is shrinking. Maine’s clammers have landed lower than 1.6 million kilos of clam meat yearly for the final six years, one thing that solely occurred thrice earlier than between 1950 and 2015.
The species is threatened by predators which have come to New England with warming waters, mainly inexperienced crabs and milky ribbon worms.
If the science proves that larger clams produce extra eggs, it may present managers with extra knowledge to make choices for the way forward for the fishery.
“It is going to be a worthwhile piece of data for the state of Maine and different states which have tender shell clams,” Beal mentioned.