Not everyone’s in favor of a proposal to seed clams along Anna Maria’s shoreline.
Randy Edwards, a retired marine scientist who previously worked at Mote Marine Laboratory and resides in Bradenton, told city commissioners Feb. 10 the proposal would result in minimal environmental benefits.
The clam project was proposed by a collection of four contractors and supported by Palmetto-based Gulf Shellfish Institute, a nonprofit that would provide collaborative oversight. It would involve seeding 1 million-2 million southern hard clams along the city’s northern shoreline on Tampa Bay and in Bimini Bay.
The project would be funded with $50,000 of the $740,432 the city received from the U.S. American Rescue Plan that the city earmarked to spend on addressing environmental issues such as red tide.
Proponents say seeding filter feeders such as clams could improve water quality and marine resilience to red tide, a higher-than-normal concentration of naturally occurring algae, specifically Karenia brevis, which produces brevotoxins that can kill marine life and be harmful to humans.
However, after Edwards argued otherwise and emailed Commissioner Jonathan Crane Jan. 17 to express concern about the proposal, commissioners invited him to speak on the issue.
Edwards told commissioners Feb. 10 he was retired and had “no dog in this fight,” and only wanted to prevent the city from spending money on an effort that would provide little return.
He said red tide had worsened over the years due to a human-made increase in Tampa Bay’s nitrogen levels, leading to the accelerated development of phytoplankton and algae.
“But clams are not the solution to pollution,” Edwards said. “The scientific fact of the matter is that, in the long-term, even a large population of clams will not remove significant amounts of nitrogen out of the bay.”
Edwards said the proposal’s claims about the bivalves’ ability to remove significant amounts of nitrogen from the water lack “scientific validation or experimental evidence” proving their benefits.
He said at least a billion clams would need to be seeded to make an impact on the area’s waters — and that quantity is not feasible.
Edwards suggested commissioners explore other options.
Crane, who said he thought the clam seeding proposal was “iffy,” thanked Edwards for speaking.
Commissioner Robert Kingan suggested directing staff to explore options for improving the local marine environment with the earmarked $50,000. Commissioners reached a consensus to approve his suggestion.