HomeMy WebLinkAboutFI Shellfish Reseeding Programs
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FISHEH.S ISLAND
SHELLF ISH !{ESEEDING P.~()GI<i\:1S
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Heported by I
Steve Malinowski
February 27,1984
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,;f~ ~;U!l1rr(~(' 0: 19(33, E' iSjH~LS I.sland part icipr1 :,('d i.n
t~:e Sc)tlthoJ_d ~Gwn hard clam seedina !)rt)gr'aln.
~.ie dep 1 oy(~d onc~
r,:..ft iT. Darbv's Cove, u s:~ull n.t'ot:E~ct:((i inl?"'t of We~.:t l1dtl:;or.
(,ur i',l:-t 'odS' built by the fishers I"l.Jnd high schooi industrial
~rts ~'lppartm0nt and was launched dur~~q the last w~eK of ~ruly~
~~t Ilct.1nts ~-ro1'~1, 1" he high school particlpdt.f:d in thf; initi~] plant-
!..nq of the clams as well uS thl~ ~,ubsPll~1c!nt ;110n] Luring pr()qram.
f'~.l~ c'l~hL'rs rs.1flnd project \To.as '.:'onrltL':~:~:'d str;ict.ly on il volt;nt.Jry
b,j ~-.; is.
In neJditio!l to :-:-!ysr.lf (';nd t".h<~ hi~h -:::choOl s"t'ld(?nts, Nr.
:-:'a~~ond Edwar-ds, RucJty O"'Of?Tl 3.nd Nich':}lil:~ Appel"l"d;lt:i c\ Iso d()na+~Gd
tiTP to the croicct.
'-' lams (X=". emm) were rec ievf'd d\lr ~nq the last: week of June
.md held in " s1'1,-,ll floating tray U ')<;.1') unt II July 25. At
this time they were counted (2400ml or 10,683 clams), measun;,d
(x=8.9mm), and planted in the raft. Maintenance and monitoring
of the growth rates were then conducted at monthly intervals
until November when the water temperature dropped below 12 C.
Our ing the last week of September thl~ raft sunk to the bottom
of the cove, apparently due to a heavy set of barnacles which
had grown to a very large size.
Fortunately the raft did not
tip in the process and it was decided to leave it on the bottom
through the winter. This spring, the raft will be recovered
,lnd thL' clams planted in the natural. environmLJnt. The Cl'rowth
r.:tb:? 0':' cla:ns ht~ld In the rafts is <;7ivpn in FIg. 1. We have
'.-] reldtively S~lnr-~ qroW'"ing st.~as()n on Fishf.~rs l"sli:'tnd \.lhQre: the
pj'rio.j o~ optl.;;'1.:l1 ~;rowth (wa~(~r t.tJorr.p. ("j~(;ilb?r than 20C) lasts
'H!ly f"ror;'"1 ..Jul-, Lil!'ouqh Sppternber. (.1.;1: findl (lvi:rag(~ siz(~ of
".'~ 11i.')i~rr. should bp ccnsid~?rpd good und~r these conrlitions.
SirH'p t'he CL:lrr~i havr.: not yet bec.:n removed from the rafts, we
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i":dve no data on survival. HO\v(~ver,. to dd.te, there> hilS been
vlrtu,llly no l'vidp!1ce cf cl.)!!1 mortality (11'-> or-en shell or shell
fraq1lC'nts) and it is anticipated that s'.Jrvivorship Ehould E>xceed
95'10.
l'ie had initially plannE!d t.O start d scallop respeding'
project on Fishers Islad during 1983. Unfortunately we- were
unable to acquire a large number of scallop seed. However. we'
participat.ed with the National Marine Fisheries Service in a n!-
qional scallop growth study. We found that the scallops thrived
in' the 1983 proposed growout system. Two hundn~d 20mrrr scallops
Wl're planted in Pearl nets during the last week. of July. By
t.h" ('nd of the grow ing season the average size was 50l'1m (see'
r iq. 2) and survival exceeded 85%. One huncired thousand scallops
",I "'f> b1:>en ordl~r(,d from Bristol ShelIf ish Co., a Naine ha tchery,
.-'fr t [-J' 1 ~le4 (.rro\~'ing season. While -,.;e cannot bp certain that
\ h"lr scallop s,""d prOduction will be successful, our past ex-
:"., ienee with the company would indic<ltc that it ."ill be.
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}'r. Ray~ond Edwards has informed me that the town of Southold
,':.:uld liJ.:e to cont.inuc its support of th0 Fishers fsland reseeding
j:)r"'ogram.
If so, ! would 1 iKeto propasC" that we use a more cost
off"Gctive system on Fishers Island during 190.1. Last Yl.!ar, The
Clam FdC'11, Inc,. a new aquacultural company with which I am affil-
l.ated, experim(~nte<i with several techniques of growing seed clams.
The :nost successful was what we call a ",esh/gravel sandwich.
T~is consists of a layer of plastic mesh placed directly on the
bottom, covered with 2" of pea stom~, and then protected with
another layer of plastic mesh. We grew 500,000 clams in this
system during 1983 and had survival ratp.s over 95% and growth
comparable to that of the town float (final average.size;17.9mm).
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('vpn though we planted at twice the (tensity (400/ft ). If
('l;,ms .:lre plant.~'d at the density of those in the town float,
the (',,:,t of :nil t~'r iill[; for these ml!sh/gr"vel sandlJiches is only
'.00/10,000 r.l<l!l1S. This techni.que is also easier to dt:PlOY,
,'asi2r to harvL'st., and is more suited to U:.e West Harbor envir-
<:,,:,,(mt. usinq thi.s system at Fishers Island, 15-25mm seed can
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O(~ ,,!-oduced for less than $..03/clam (Lr.cluding the initial cost
o~ s~ed and maintena!lce).
since we would cont_inue to do this
.:m .1 volunteiry basis, the total cost Eor the Fishers Island
["rogr~m (excludinq seed) will be $120/20.000 clams.
BpcaUSE~
~)f t irr.e ccnstr-a ints, we would r~ot ow.i ::.h our proqram to c!xcee.:i
/:;), ;.no c'la.ns.
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