The New Hampshire Estuaries Project’s (NHEP’s) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the state’s estuaries was completed in 2000 and implementation is ongoing. The plan outlines key issues related to management of New Hampshire’s estuaries and proposes strategies, or action plans, intended to preserve, protect, and enhance the state’s estuarine resources. The NHEP’s priorities were established by local stakeholders and include water quality improvements, shellfish resources, land protection, and habitat restoration. Projects addressing those priorities are undertaken throughout New Hampshire’s coastal watershed, which includes 42 communities.
Every 3 years, the NHEP prepares a State of the Estuaries report with information on the status and trends of a select group of environmental indicators from the coastal watershed and estuaries. The report provides the NHEP, state natural resource managers, local officials, conservation organizations, and the public with information on the effects of management actions and decisions.
This report introduces 12 shellfish indicators tracked by NHEP:
- Area of Oyster Beds in Great Bay—Tracks six major oyster beds in Great Bay relative to their areas in 1997. This monitoring objective is directly relevant to the management objective to maintain oyster beds from 1997 levels.
- Density of Harvestable Oysters in Great Bay Beds—This monitoring objective is directly relevant to NHEP’s management objective of no net decrease in oysters from 1997 levels.
- Density of Harvestable Clams at Hampton Harbor Flats—This monitoring objective is directly relevant to NHEP’s management objective of no net decrease in clams from the 1989–1999 average.
- Area of Clam Flats in Hampton Harbor—This supporting indicator will be combined with data on clam densities to estimate standing stock of harvestable clams (#6).
- Standing Stock of Harvestable Oysters in Great Bay—This indicator will estimate total number of harvestable oysters in Great Bay.
- Standing Stock of Harvestable Clams in Hampton Harbor—This indicator will estimate total number of harvestable clams in Hampton Harbor.
- Abundance of Shellfish Predators—This supporting indicator will track the relative abundance of green crabs, the dominant clam predator in New Hampshire’s tidal waters.
- Clam and Oyster Spatfall—This supporting indicator will track yearly spatfall of clams in Hampton Harbor and oysters in Great Bay. The information will help interpret changes in other indicators of shellfish density or standing stock.
- Recreational Harvest of Oysters—This supporting indicator will estimate how many oysters are harvested by recreational harvesters each year.
- Recreational Harvest of Clams—This supporting indicator will estimate how many clams are harvested from Hampton Harbor flats by recreational harvesters each year.
- Prevalence of Oyster Disease—This supporting indicator will estimate the prevalence of oyster diseases MSX and Dermo.
- Prevalence of Clam Disease— This supporting indicator will estimate the prevalence of the clam disease sarcomastous neoplasia.
Monitoring results showed that both oyster and clam populations are at their lowest values in history. In addition, they are both plagued by persistent disease and predation. Finally, the number of people taking part in recreational shellfishing is decreasing (Trowbridge 2005).
Reference:
Trowbridge, P. 2005. New Hampshire Estuaries Project – Environmental Indicator Report: Shellfish. Prepared for New Hampshire Estuaries Project. Accessed October 2016.
http://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1188&context=prep Exit.