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Clamming is an important industry in Casco Bay – and shellfish harvesters are on the forefront of coping with climate impacts and other changes on the flats. Manomet, Tidal Bay Consulting and the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative have joined forces to support local stakeholders in their efforts to work together to address common challenges.
Shellfish harvesters, wardens and marine resource committee members came together in November at the inaugural meeting of the Casco Bay Shellfish Working Group. Anne Hayden and Jessica Joyce (Tidal Bay Consulting) led a lively and wide-ranging discussion that touched on stock assessment, allocation of licenses, testing for pathogens, and the impacts of ocean acidification and predators. Susan Olcott, chair of Brunswick’s Marine Resources Committee, noted in an article in the Portland Press Herald she wrote about the meeting, “I very much look forward to the opportunity to share not only our town’s challenges in managing marine resources but also to sharing in the solutions.”
The recently launched Casco Bay Regional Shellfish Working Group is an opportunity to compare notes, share expertise, and improve management, conservation, research, and monitoring across towns and stakeholders in Casco Bay. The goal is to support municipal shellfish management programs and work together on actions to move the industry forward.The next meeting is scheduled for January 30, 2020, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Merrill Memorial Library in Yarmouth, ME. All members of the shellfish community in the Casco Bay area are welcome and encouraged to participate, including harvesters, municipal committee members, shellfish wardens, and marine resource officers. Municipal shellfish license holders may be eligible to receive conservation points (or hours) in their municipality for attending.
For more information, or to be added to the email list, contact:
Jessica Joyce: Jessica@tidalbayconsulting.com
Anne Hayden: Ahayden@manomet.org