ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. — Anna Maria Island business and boat owners are spending their weekends putting clams into the water. They worked with the city of Bradenton Beach to purchase more than a hundred thousand clams to help fight future red tide outbreaks.
“Clams are great for our environment, they filter water, five gallons a day,” said business owner Ed Chiles.
Chiles said the clams will live in the water for at least 30 years.
"We should be recognizing the values of those clams. They eat red tide and we should be moving them to areas for restoration,” said Chiles.
Business owners are worried about future red tide outbreaks. Many Anna Maria Island businesses reported at least a 20-percent drop in business after the summer red tide outbreak.
“This water is important to us, we need to leave it better off than we found it,” said Chiles.
Boat owners who are interested in the clam project can volunteer by calling the Sand Bar Restaurant 941-778-0444.
