From Aquaculture to Habitat: A Florida Clam Restoration Field Day (St. Augustine)

Join us for this two-part program as we explore the clam restoration strategy contributing to filtering the future of the Indian River Lagoon. The first part of the program will be conducted at Whitney Laboratory in St. Augustine.

Whitney Laboratory along with its partners are working to restore clam populations in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). Our behind-the-scenes field trip will include an in-depth examination of how clams contribute to water quality and support the restoration of seagrasses in the vital IRL estuary.

Dr. Todd Osborne will lead us on a tour of the lab and highlight the work being performed with project partner Premium Seafood (Mike Sullivan) to produce the 15 million clams needed for restoration. Dr. Osborne will share details about the processes of population enhancement and ecosystem services provided by growing clam populations.

Following the Laboratory program we will travel to the clam aquaculture farming location. Please note the second location is a working clam farm and is not traditionally open to the public.  Most of the production areas are not accessible with mobility devices.  The field trip will include participation in a service project to support IRL health.  Service project logistics and details will be sent to registrants one week prior to the field trip.

Itinerary – Saturday, Sept 20 (times are estimated and may be adjusted)

10:00am  Meet at Whitney Lab for tour and hands-on service project

12:00pm  Travel to Commander’s Fish Camp for up close look at clam farming

12:30pm  Lunch at Commander’s fish camp

(participants will pay for their own lunch)

1:30pm   Tour of the clam farm production areas and viewing of lagoon restoration work

Location #1

The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience

9505 N Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080

Location #2

The Commander’s Shellfish Camp (Mike Sullivan – Owner)

7579 A1A S, St. Augustine, FL 32080

REGISTER HERE