After a statewide flood closure to harvest shellfish, due to all the rain, clam diggers will once again be out of work as red tide hits harvest areas.
The buoy system utilized by Dept. of Marine Resources red tide testing staff is a little talked about program and, according to DMR staff and clam harvesters alike, a real success story.
“It’s very sensationalized,” said Maine Clammers Association president Chad Coffin, referring to news stories about red tide crippling the industry. “The program that’s in place is so safe.”
He said red tide has not been as widespread as reported in years past and sales have dropped in summer months due to misrepresentation of the effects of red tide. The DMR minimizes the impact of red tide on the industry through the federally funded biotoxin program.
According to Darcie Couture, director of Biotoxin Monitoring at the DMR, upcoming red tide closures will hit eastern Maine particularly hard. Staff scientists are working with the buoy system, which allows for more specific closures.
Red tide closures in years past have been broad due to the fact that the program only had testing stations at key locations, such as on a point and there are only so many people to conduct the red tide testing, Couture said. Scientists working for the DMR can collect samples from 30-40 buoys by boat, where before they would only be able to collect 8-10 land-based samples.
“It gave us a lot more data in the same amount of time,” Couture said.
The water quality stations used to test for land-based pollution have faced the same staffing issues as in the red tide program. Recent legislation addressed the issue to provide funding for new staff members at the DMR to conduct water quality testing.
The Appropriations Committee in the Maine Legislature recently put the language of a bill (LD 1399) sponsored by Rep. Dianne Tilton (R-Harrington), into the budget to monitor and maintain shellfish harvesting areas.
“We are the canaries in the coal mine,” Coffin said, adding that a healthy coastline and keeping tabs on pollution means a healthy ecosystem for other marine life.
The problem is the rain.
Rainfall conditional areas, such as Area 26 in the Medomak River, close after an inch or more of rainfall. The DMR waits a minimum of 14 days for the area to clear itself of pollution.
According to Couture, DMR staff started testing coastal waters for land-based pollution two days after the flood closure was initiated.
“They’ve been working basically seven days a week,” she said in reference to the fact that non-rainfall conditional areas can be tested a few days after heavy rains.
The problem is the rain and more of it keeps scientists struggling to find an answer and diggers out of work.
“It’s really discouraging,” she said, remarking on the work of DMR scientists and the double-whammy shellfish harvesters face with respect to pollution and red tide.
As Coffin puts it, the Maine clamming industry is on the ropes.
Since 2001, the industry has shrunk from $76 million (13.1 million pounds harvested) to $50 million (7.8 million pounds harvested) in 2007. He also sites lack of access to over 140,000 acres of mud flats in the state.
Despite the legislation to support water quality testing efforts, Coffin disagrees with the recent decision to test clean waters a second time following a 48-hour period. He said the department used to open up flats after the three or four day test period.
Now staffers are required to test areas a second time, after a 48-hour period, even in areas that tested clean. Coffin feels the DMR second testing rule is a roadblock for clam diggers.
“If it weren’t for the legislature and governor’s office the Maine Clamming Industry would be dead,” he said.
The clamming industry has also gained widespread support from citizens here in Lincoln County and along the Maine coast.
Waldoboro recently hosted their annual celebration to support clean water and the shellfish industry. Legislators, such as Dianne Tilton and Sen. David Trahan, as well as local municipal officers, the active Shellfish Committee chair Abden Simmons, the Medomak Valley Land Trust and many other volunteers have dedicated their time to support the shellfish industry.
Scientists working for the DMR and volunteers are doing all they can to keep shellfish harvesters employed while at the same time hoping for a bit of sun.
