Florida scientists turn 39 surviving clams into 65 million
Florida's Indian River Lagoon shows signs of recovery after decades of environmental decline. Scientists are restoring critical habitats like reefs, shellfish beds, seagrass, and wetlands. Efforts focus on reintroducing clams, which were nearly extinct due to overharvesting and algal blooms. Millions of juvenile and adult "super clams" have been released into the lagoon. Local governments are…
In a remarkable effort to restore Florida's Indian River Lagoon, scientists have managed to revive 39 surviving clams and subsequently cultivate 65 million juvenile seed clams and adults. This groundbreaking project, funded by NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation, aims to restore four critical habitats: coquina rock reefs, shellfish beds, seagrass meadows, and wetlands.
University of Florida professor Todd Osborne, leading the NOAA-funded project, highlighted the clams' vital role in maintaining the lagoon's health, providing food for a myriad of marine species and filtering out algae. However, by the 2010s, overharvesting and massive algal blooms led to the clams' extinction, leaving just 39 adult clams in 2018.
These resilient clams became the foundation for the "super clam" project, which has since successfully outplanted 65 million juvenile seed clams and adults into the lagoon, with a survival rate of about half the outplanted adult clams after two years and 10 to 13 percent of seed clams after a year. The primary threat to clams now is freshwater influx from stormwater and agricultural runoff, which can lower salinity levels detrimental to clams.
Despite the ongoing challenges, Osborne remains optimistic, noting that local governments are developing solutions to issues like stormwater runoff and septic tank leakage, with one county even paying homeowners to convert their septic systems to sewer systems.
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