Survey Goals
In 2019, the Damariscotta-Newcastle Shellfish Committee commissioned Sarah Risley and Heather Leslie to conduct surveys on the Damariscotta mudflats. This project involves interviewing local shellfish harvesters and collecting of biophysical data along sites in the Damariscotta River estuary. By using the clam harvester interviews to select optimal biophysical sampling locations, this interdisciplinary approach will help the Damariscotta-Newcastle Shellfish Committee maintain effective, profitable, and sustainable mudflat legislation.
Technical Data
The biophysical data-collection process is critical for informing the scientific side of softshell clam and oyster licensing. At each location, a 25m transect parallel to the shoreline organizes five sampling quadrants, each one square meter. At each quadrant, researchers record physical and ecological data points, including percentage of algae, rock coverage, and the number and dimensions of clams. Surveyors also identify other species such as Bloodworm, Sandworms, Milky Ribbon Worms, and most importantly invasive Green Crabs in order to give the fullest picture of the ecosystem dynamics around shellfish.
Local Knowledge
Additionally, harvesters’ local environmental knowledge is crucial for crafting effective policy. Sarah Risley and Heather Leslie created a local mapping survey to poll clam harvesters on their observations of changes on the river, the shellfish population landscape, and pressing challenges for the shellfish industry. The local knowledge of harvesters has guided the selection of the current monitoring sites and provided possible explanations for changes in the ecosystem. Going forward, Sarah Risley, Heather Leslie, and others intend to resurvey clam diggers each year to formally document local ecological knowledge and determine the best location for biophysical collection sites, thus calibrating outcomes to the state of shellfish industry.
Damariscotta-Newcastle Shellfish Council
The study treats the local knowledge data from the harvester interviews just as important as the biophysical data. Ultimately, by combining the experience of fishermen and the biophysical data, this initiative generates useful information to the Damariscotta-Newcastle Shellfish Council and fisheries as well as offsets the cost of expensive reseeding projects by optimizing their location.
Contacts:
Heather Leslie – heather.leslie@maine.edu
Kara Pellowe – kara.pellowe@maine.edu