Thursday, May 29, 2008

Major Shellfish & Eelgrass Transplant to Benefit Salt Ponds

By Chip Young

Increased clam population, cleaner water expected results

Two large transplants of shellfish to Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds in Charlestown, and the relocation of eelgrass into test sites in both coastal salt ponds marked the start this spring of a new project designed to increase the ponds’ shellfish populations while improving water quality.

A total of 40,000 pounds of shellfish, which is about 200,000 individual clams, was divided between Ninigret and “Quonnie” and put into “spawner sanctuaries” in the South County ponds on May 8 and May 20, respectively.  In between those shellfish-shifting operations, on May 15, eelgrass harvested from Ft. Getty in Jamestown was moved to test sites in the two South County ponds.  This will be followed by a full-scale eelgrass transplant this September.

The project is called The National Partnership Between the NOAA Community-based Restoration Program and The Nature Conservancy, and includes a boatful of partners including the Department of Environmental Management, Save the Bay, the Salt Ponds Coalition and the University of Rhode Island.  The always helpful R.I. Shellfishermen’s Assn. also chipped in, digging up the quahogs in Greenwich Cove under DEM supervision on the two transplant dates, before they were loaded on to a huge flatbed to be trucked down to Ninigret and Quonnie.  At the sites, volunteers loaded the 50-lb. sacks onto boats contributed by Salt Pond Coalition members, DEM and Save the Bay, which took them out to be dumped overboard into the sanctuary areas.  Sore backs, muddy clothes and wet feet all around, please.

The clams were taken from “uncertified waters” in Greenwich Cove, where they are not allowed to be harvested for eating, and were tested to ensure they were healthy before they took their ride down to Charlestown.  The spawner sanctuaries where they were transplanted are also off-limits to harvesting, but they will serve as a breeding ground for the shellfish, which will eventually increase the number of clams in the entire pond area outside the sanctuaries.  As a bonus, since the clams filter water to feed, they reduce excess plankton, and contribute to overall improved water quality in the ponds.  That cleaner water will then help the eelgrass grow.  (Ah, it all eventually comes together, doesn’t it?)

The partnership’s objectives are to show how this cooperative effort can help the overall health of the ecosystem, while exploring the impacts and potential future benefits of combining shellfish and eelgrass restoration right next door to one another.  Hopefully, the lessons learned here can be used elsewhere.  Believe me, there is a lot going on across this country and around the world that went to school on Little Rhody when it comes to coastal issues.

“TNC, NOAA our partners and volunteers have done a great job, and we are all eagerly anticipating seeing the results of this transplant effort,“ said Janet Coit, director of the Rhode Island Chapter of TNC.  We’ll be on the lookout in September to to see just how well this big move by the shellfish and eelgrass pays off.  For more information, contact Chris Littlefield or Caroly Shumway of The Nature Conservancy at (401) 331-7110.