Clean Water for Clams Continues at KELT

The clam flats of Brookings Bay in Woolwich have been acclaimed by local commercial harvesters for holding a wealth of shellfish. A 2010 clam population survey completed by the Woolwich Shellfish Conservation Committee estimated there to be $14 million worth of softshell clams in the 473 acre bay.

Unfortunately, the area has been closed to harvesting since late 2008 when water quality testing by the Maine Department of Maine Resources (DMR) indicated bacterial levels high enough to threaten public health. No one was able to determine the sources of the pollution.

The effects of the closure had an immediate economic impact on the town. Town shellfish landings dropped by approximately half between 2008 ($80,221) and 2009 ($41,240), and the number of commercial shellfish harvesters in the community shrunk from 14 to 4; significantly reducing municipal and private revenue.

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) was approached by the Woolwich Shellfish Conservation Committee to assist in reopening the valuable clam flats. The non-profit conservation group was able to draw together local shellfish harvesters, municipal and state agencies, and volunteers to perform water quality testing.

“KELT helped do the work the diggers couldn’t do themselves due to state policy,” said Dan Harrington chairman of Woolwich Shellfish Conservation Committee.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Woolwich Shellfish Committee and DMR, partnered with Maine Conservation Corps members Becky Kolak from KELT, and Ruth Indrick from DMR. They trained two Morse High School volunteers, Schuyler Mace of Georgetown and Max Rawson of Bath, and thoroughly surveyed Brookings Bay to understand the sources and movement of bacterial water pollution.

The ten month survey included water and stream sampling, a shoreline survey conducted by the DEP, and the impacts of tide, rainfall, season, and salinity on pollution levels. By fall, DMR felt confident to revise their management plan for Brookings Bay, opening an area for harvesting under specific seasonal conditions and an area open to harvesting year round. By mid-October the diggers of Woolwich were on the flats again, harvesting softshell clams.

KELT’s work with the shellfish industry continues. The Woolwich shellfish harvesters have indicated other areas rich with softshell clams but closed to harvesting. KELT is planning to partner with agencies and community members to collect more data in 2012.

“We are thrilled that the work completed in Brookings Bay provided positive results,” said Becky Kolak, KELT’s Education Coordinator, “Taking the approach of tailoring data collection to a clam flat’s unique ecological characteristics seems to work. We are looking to apply this approach in other shellfish harvesting communities in the estuary.”