OUTREACH
GSI’s First Scholarship Opportunity
January, 2023
GSI is proud to announce the Bruce J. Barber Memorial Internship, created to honor the legacy of Dr. Bruce Barber, GSI’s founding Executive Director. The donation-based internship will support one undergraduate or graduate student each summer season. They will work closely with GSI staff while conducting their own independent research project. More details to come!
SEERS Clam Workshop 2022
GSI and board president, Curt Hemmel of Bay Shellfish Company, attended the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society’s Clam Workshop on April 29, 2022 in Stuart, FL.
The workshop included talks from leading stakeholders and breakout sessions aimed at identifying research, management, and outreach priorities surrounding clam restoration in the Indian River Lagoon. Co-restoration using clams and oysters as well as the need for standardization of restoration monitoring and success were major themes. There was a call for formation of an overarching management entity to organize future projects and maximize ecosystem-level benefits.
Festive clam hats were provided by Ronda Ryan (top left) of Sarasota Bay Watch.
Sarasota Bay Watch Clam Release
March 26, 2022
As a research partner of Sarasota Bay Watch, we participated in their first clam deployment of 2022. Approximately 120,000 clams were deployed by 44 volunteers at two predetermined sites in Sarasota Bay. We additionally took samples from each of the release sites to assess sediment composition and collect preliminary data for long-term monitoring.
GSI Hosts Virtual Clam Restoration Workshop
February 9-11, 2021
In February, 2021, GSI hosted a workshop in which experts in the field summarized the latest information on the ecological services provided by marine bivalves (primarily clams, Mercenaria spp.) and the quantification of those services. The three day event was attended by 131 members of the clam and shellfish aquaculture community. Workshop presentations are available here.
The workshop began with a presentation of the history of clam restoration in Florida by Dr. William Arnold. Various short presentations about current restoration projects around the state were given by groups such as Sarasota Bay Watch. Presentations on filtration rates, carbon sequestration, and nutrient removal by hard clams were given by Dr. Bruce Barber, Dr. Patrick Baker, and Dr. Ashley Smyth, respectively on the second day. During the third day, Dr. Bradley Peterson discussed seagrass enhancement and Dr. Matthew Parker discussed potential for nutrient credits through clam restoration efforts.
It was identified that there were knowledge gaps surrounding ecological services conducted by hard clams such as water filtration, nutrient removal and flux, carbon sequestration, and seagrass enhancement.
