The Great South Bay Hard Clam Restoration Working Group Project for the Great South Bay

In early 2009 Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy convened a multi government, agency and stakeholder team called The Great South Bay Hard Clam Restoration Working Group. The Working Group fosters coordination and management of efforts to advance hard clam restoration by the County and the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, as well as The Nature Conservancy.

The Goal of the Hard Clam Restoration project is to reestablish and protect reproductive populations of hard clams that are necessary to support ecological, economic, cultural and recreational values associated with restoration of the Great South Bay.

As an initial step, the Working Group suggested the interim hard clam harvest regulations that were adopted by the three Great South Bay towns in 2010. These regulations will expire at the end of 2011. The Working Group recognizes that a more comprehensive approach is needed to provide a fair balance between commercial and recreational clam harvest and restoration of the clam population.

The Working Group is tasked with addressing active restoration, harvest management and enforcement issues/ However, this represents only part of a larger suite of programs needed to revitalize the clam population and the overall health of Great South Bay. The Working Group is also coordinating with other programs, such as water quality improvement measures through storm water and nutrient management, to help ensure a holistic approach to the restoration of the Great South Bay.