Now that our first cohort of overwintering clams is in the Shellfish Resilience Lab's saltwater tank, we are learning how to maintain the lab's systems. Some of what we are learning may be unique to the Gouldsboro lab, but some of it is knowledge that other towns might use if they decide to raise and overwinter clams. This post shares some of what we've learned from the cold days and low tides this January and February.
Mapping and Researching Access Points
Just after Christmas, shellfish harvester and committee member Mike Cronin took Pauline Angione and Vicki Rea on a driving and walking tour of some of the shore areas that he uses to get down to clam flats. Come along and see some of what they saw.
The Critical Nature of Shore Access
The Island Institute published a report on Maine's working waterfronts and shore access that is essential reading. it puts together the pieces of this puzzle in a way that makes it possible to see solutions. Maine's future depends on getting this right.
Clam Recruitment – 2021 Results
Gouldsboro's shellfish committee places recruitment boxes along the shore to gather data about recruitment density. Identifying the bays and coves where recruitment is strongest is important when deciding where to focus restoration efforts. On December 17th we opened up the recruitment boxes that had been sitting out on mudflats during summer and fall. Opening up the boxes is kind of exciting. What will we find?
2021 Nursery Tray Findings
On November 16, 2021, a team of volunteers retrieved and processed the 10 nursery trays that had been floating in the old lobster pound behind Gouldsboro’s Shellfish Resilience Lab in Bunker’s Harbor. This is a report on what they did and what they found. It also looks ahead to what these findings mean for work in 2022.
Gouldsboro Contracts with FB Environmental for Shore and Storm Expertise
The Shore and Storm project will identify where Gouldsboro is vulnerable to severe damage and disruption from sea-level rise, storms, and storm surge. Much of that work depends on information from residents. But we also need assistance from hydrologists and other experts who can use maps and projections from the Maine Geological Survey to identify future trouble spots. Gouldsboro has contracted with FB Environmental for that expertise.
Shellfish Committee Begins Shore Access Work
Gouldsboro's shellfish committee met on the evening of December 15, 2021, and began identifying high-priority access points for important harvest areas. This post describes that process and looks ahead to future work.
Gouldsboro Receives “Shore and Storm” Funding
Gouldsboro signed a contract with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, marking the start of a project titled "Planning for Change Along Gouldsboro’s Shore." The agreement provides the town with $29,623 to use in sustaining shore access, reducing vulnerability to damage from sea-level rise and storm events, and engaging the community in planning and action to retain the ecological and economic health of Gouldsboro's coast.
Steamers in the Rain
July 19, 2021, was a foggy, drizzly day, but that didn't stop more than 70 Gouldsboro residents from coming to the town park in Prospect Harbor to sample clams harvested by Gouldsboro shellfish committee member Mike Cronin. The year-round and seasonal residents attending the event learned about the new Shellfish Resilience Lab that is under construction in Bunkers Harbor.
Welcoming Our First Clams
June 30th was a big day for the shellfish lab and team–Shellfish Warden Mike Pinkham brought the first batch of clam spat back to the lab! With our team of intrepid volunteers, we set out to install our nursery trays. These clams will spend this summer and fall outside in the lobster pound enjoying local algae and (hopefully) growing into seed clams.