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As soon as I heard about Chris farm idea I knew right away that it was something Manomet could help test said Hagan.We believe that the fishermen have the knowledge to help move their industry forward if they are given the opportu- nity to act. Chris had an idea that was grounded in his experi- ence in the mud. We want to help him restore this important natural resource by bringing our scientific expertise to bear. From the beginning the goal of the farm was to create a model that a single harvester would be able to manage by them- selves but one that would also answer some basic scientific questions about this aquaculture technique. That way if the project was successful it would become a scientifically-proven financially viable commercial-scale solution to the growing green crab problem. On a spring weekend in 2014 Warner Hagan and several volunteers deployed 150000 soft-shell seed clams in a 2.3 acre plot at a sub-productive flat in Heal Eddy in Georgetown Mainethe same flat that Warner was already leasing through a conservation closure a year earlier. The fact that the area was sub-productive was key because otherwise the project would be impinging on the productive open range flats. It took a 10000 upfront investment to buy the seeds and nets for the farm and took four low tides to install the seventy 20x14 foot plots. The agreement was that Warner would main- tain the farm for three growing seasonsthe time it would take for the clams to reach commercial size two inchesand would receive all of the harvest profitan estimated 50000. In return he would help install and maintain the entire scientific study which involves six different experimental treat- ments. Some of the plots are control plots with no seed clams and no nets. Others have seed clams but no protective netting. The rest of the plots have nets with varying mesh sizes to test the effectiveness of different nets to ward off green crabs. Warner says his relationship with Manomet has turned him into a scientist. I would have never planted seed clams without protective netting. I thought scientists would be smarter than that. But now I understand why thats so impor- tant. Its the only way we can prove the netting is the factor that makes this work. The Cultural Challenge One might assume that the technological challenge of eliminating green crab predation would be the main obstacle of the farm. Indeed that problem needs solving but the cultural challenge has proven to be far more formidable. It involves changing how humans do things. The conservation closure which keeps Warners farm off limits to other harvesters expires this December. The clams require another summer of growth to reach harvestable size but when he sought to extend the closure for one more year he was met with some fierce opposition. The intertidal clam flats have been considered open range for centuries. Although the state technically owns the resources in the intertidal zone any licensed harvester can harvest clams anywhere anytime. The open-range nature of clamming is a centuries-old tradition. But due to the green crab invasion this type of management is no longer helping the industry thrive. Farming presents a solution but also a change. As Warner Left Students from Georgetown Central School visited the clam farm in the spring and fall to learn about clams farming and green crabs. Right Jay Holt owns the property that surrounds the clam farm and volunteers his time to help with the project. 6 Manomet Partnerships for Sustainability Summer 2015