Stony Brook, NY, May 1, 2023 - Mercenaria mercenaria or hard clam is a very important species for the health of the economy and the marine food web.
Growers along the eastern seaboard experience mortality related loss in their hard clam inventory for several reasons.
• In northern areas, the pathogen known as Quahog Parasite Unknown or QPX creates problems on shellfish farms from Massachusetts to Virginia.
• In Florida heat stress during the summer can result in mortalities of larger clams reaching harvest size, these events result in lost revenues for growers.
Thus, the Sea Grant Hard Clam Selective Breeding Collaborative (Hub) aims to improve the aquaculture industry on the Atlantic coast, by finding and establishing more resilient lines of clams. Researchers have been studying the clam’s genome for the identification of naturally occurring strains that are resistant to these stressors.
More about the Hub at www.nyseagrant.org/hardclamhub
NOTE: Correction to photo credits, which should also include Dr. Sabrina Geraci-Yee, Ph.D., SoMAS, SBU