Wednesday, 9/7, was a big day at the Shellfish Resilience Lab. Four of us (Chantal, Elin, Mike, and Pauline) went to the lab to do a routine tank cleaning. Cabot, the Lab Labrador, was there as well, "guarding" the loading dock for us. We figured it would take about an hour and a half with all of us experienced tank cleaners there. Not so, it turns out.
Reseeding the Mud Flats
Procedure Mike Pinkham, Ada Fisher, Noah Milsky, and Vicki Rea head out to the mud carrying materials for reseeding the flats. Collect your mud-ready clams and place them in regular 5-gallon buckets (no more than 5,000 clams per bucket) Gather other materials 14ft x 14ft netting Garden rake Stakes (4 stakes per netting) Mallet or … Continue reading Reseeding the Mud Flats
Cleaning the Tanks
Procedure Make sure the pump is running and put on an apron and bootsTurn off the water flow in tank 2Carefully scrape down the sides of the seed clam bucket with your hand making sure there are no seed clams stuck to the sides. Some seed clams like to stick to the sides right near the … Continue reading Cleaning the Tanks
Clam Count and Weight Data Collection
Procedure Set up a table near the upwellerGather materials:Amir Digital Kitchen Scale Petri dish¼ cup scooperPaper towelsnotepadUsing the ¼ cup scooper, scoop out a random sample of clams from one of the bucketsThe clams should fill more than half of the cup, but not totally fullTry to remove the water from the scooper before placing the … Continue reading Clam Count and Weight Data Collection
Shell Length Data Collection
Procedure Set up a table near the upwellerGather materials:Caliper ¼ cup scooperPaper towelsnotepadUsing the ¼ cup scooper, scoop out a random sample of clams from one of the bucketsTry to remove the water from the scooper before placing the sample of clams on the paper towelRandomly select one live clam from the sample, and using your … Continue reading Shell Length Data Collection
Cleaning the Seed Clams and Buckets
Procedure Make sure the pump is running and put on an apron and bootsTurn off 1 and ½ valves in both tanksOpen the valve that goes to the hoseCheck the water pressure on the hoseYou want enough pressure to spray the mud and clam poop through the mesh, but not too much pressure that you … Continue reading Cleaning the Seed Clams and Buckets