SARASOTA, Fla. — Thousands of clams have been released in the Sarasota Bay to help improve water quality.
On Saturday, Sarasota Bay Watch did its 5th release near New Pass. The clams came from Pine Island in Southwest Florida. They are now resting in Sarasota Bay where they will filter and clean the water.
The southern hard clam lives up to 30 years and actually eats red tide, mitigating the harmful effects of the toxin. An adult can filter up to fifty gallons of water per day. In the filtering process, they absorb assorted viruses, toxins, and bacteria in the polluted water.
Mote Marine scientist Jim Culter is documenting and monitoring the effort.
Sarasota Bay Watch has released more than 200,000 clams in 2018. Another release is planned for 2019.
Sarasota Bay Watch is a grass-roots, non-profit, citizen-based organization dedicated to preserving and restoring Sarasota Bay's ecosystem through education and citizen participation.
