Hard Clam Response to Breach at Old Inlet
Gober C. Hard Clam Response to Breach at Old Inlet. 2014
The goal of this study was to determine how various physical and biological parameters across a range of estuary-to-ocean locations in Great South Bay, NY influence the success of M. mercenaria populations. We evaluated the growth and biochemical composition of juvenile M. mercenaria as well as the condition of adult M. mercenaria experimentally placed at the New Inlet in Bellport Bay, the middle of GSB, and the Fire Island Inlet. We concurrently assessed water quality (salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen) and characterized the plankton assemblages with regards to biomass, size distribution, and species composition. Finally, these data sets were used to elucidate the influence of water quality and plankton communities on the growth, and condition of adult and juvenile M. mercenaria. The experimental design of this study mimicked a study performed nine years ago (Weiss et al., 2007) prior to the formation of the New Inlet. This facilitates a direct comparison and assessment of how the creation of the New Inlet may affect the performance of hard clams in this ecosystem.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Gober, Chris
- Units
- FIIS
- Keywords
- breach, Great South Bay, hard clams, Hurricane Sandy, HxSandy, NCBN, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network