The first Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club meeting of the season will be held on October 11, 2020 at 2:00PM EST via Zoom. See the October 2020 Junonia newsletter with detailed instructions for Zoom.
We are pleased to introduce our guest speaker for October, Leah Reidenbach M.Sc., Research and Policy Associate at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF).
In 2019, the Sanibel Shell Club presented the SCCF with a grant to study “Hard Clam Restoration in San Carlos Bay.” Leah will be giving us an update on this hard clam restoration project. This will include background information on the importance of hard clams in Southwest Florida, progress on the project, and an updated timeline for future efforts.
Bivalve filter feeders, including the Southern hard clam (Mercenaria campechiensis), provide essential ecosystem services in estuaries and improve water quality. Hard clams were once abundant in southwest Florida but over-harvesting and changes in water quality led to a collapse of the fishery in the mid-twentieth century.
In order to evaluate the potential for hard clam restoration success in Pine Island sound and to determine future needs and directions for restoration efforts, a small-scale pilot project on hard clam restoration will be conducted. We plan on planting 12,000 hard clams in 900 m2 of Pine Island Sound. We will monitor the survival and condition of hard clam and changes in water quality. We are partnering with the Sarasota Bay Watch, who generously donated the clams for our study, to coordinate a regional effort in ecosystem restoration.
PLEASE NOTE:
Shell Club members only will receive an email invitation to join the meeting with a link to Zoom. Contact us at info@sanibelshellclub.com with questions.
BECOME A MEMBER:
If you’re not a member and can’t participate in our Zoom meeting, now’s a GREAT time to join. We now accept PayPal for new memberships and renewals. Click here or head over to our BECOME A MEMBER PAGE for more info and the forms.
Thank you!