{"id":10315,"date":"2026-08-09T06:04:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T06:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=10315"},"modified":"2026-08-09T06:04:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T06:04:40","slug":"in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and-have-since-outplanted-65-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=10315","title":{"rendered":"In 2018, scientists found just 39 surviving clams in Florida\u2019s Indian River Lagoon; they bred them and have since outplanted 65 million"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133031022,imgsize-144433,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and-have-since-outplanted-65-million.jpg\" alt=\"In 2018, scientists found just 39 surviving clams in Florida\u2019s Indian River Lagoon; they bred them and have since outplanted 65 million\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>After decades of environmental decline, Florida&#8217;s Indian River Lagoon is beginning to show signs of recovery. With funding from NOAA Fisheries&#8217; Office of Habitat Conservation, the Indian River Lagoon Council is leading a system-wide effort to restore the habitats that once sustained the lagoon&#8217;s fish and wildlife.<!-- --> A team of three scientists and one fisherman are tackling the challenges of restoring four critical habitat types: coquina rock reefs, shellfish beds, seagrass meadows, and wetlands.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Super <keyword id=\"21818972\" type=\"General\" weightage=\"20\" keywordseo=\"clams\" source=\"keywords\">clams<\/keyword> and a missing species<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Super clams and a missing species&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" msid=\"133031088\" width=\"\" title=\"Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Indian River Lagoon sustained an abundance of clams\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-133031088\/super-clams-and-a-missing-speciesbrbr.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Indian River Lagoon sustained an abundance of clams<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"7\"\/>Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Indian River Lagoon sustained an abundance of clams. &#8220;If you wanted clams, you could jump out of your boat anywhere in the lagoon and harvest them by the bucketful,&#8221; said University of Florida professor Todd Osborne, who is leading clam restoration efforts for the NOAA-funded project.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>They supported a multi-million dollar fishery and helped keep the lagoon clear by filtering out the algae. Beyond serving as food for people and marine animals, clams also make food for other species. When clams are full from filtering, they spit out \u201cpseudo faeces,\u201d which are essentially little bundles of algae and food particles. Shrimp, crabs, and fish gobble up these highly nutritious snacks.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>However, by the 2010s, overharvesting and a series of massive algal blooms caused what Osborne called &#8220;a kind of environmental apocalypse.&#8221; Clams went virtually extinct in the Indian River Lagoon. So much so that in 2018, Osborne and his research team searched the lagoon for surviving clams. After 8 weeks, they found just 39, all adults of similar size and age.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>\u201cThese 39 clams represented a genetic opportunity,\u201d Osborne said. \u201cWe could capitalise on the unique traits that allowed these individuals to survive. We spawned the adults and got 40 million larvae.\u201d <!-- -->And so, the \u201csuper clam\u201d was born\u2014a name coined by a retired restaurateur friend of Osborne to help the project gain traction outside the lab. It worked.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>Osbourne and his team have since grown and outplanted 65 million juvenile seed clams and adults in the lagoon. Monitoring shows that about half of the outplanted adult clams survived after two years, while 10 to 13 per cent of seed clams survived after a year.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Looming threat<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Looming threat&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" msid=\"133031129\" width=\"\" title=\"The primary threat to clams is the influx of freshwater from stormwater and agricultural runoff and other sources. Clams require brackish water with a salinity of 18 to 35 parts per thousand.\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-133031129\/looming-threatbrbr.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The primary threat to clams is the influx of freshwater from stormwater and agricultural runoff and other sources. Clams require brackish water with a salinity of 18 to 35 parts per thousand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/>The primary threat to clams is the influx of freshwater from stormwater and agricultural runoff and other sources. <!-- -->Clams require brackish water with a salinity of 18 to 35 parts per thousand. If influxes of freshwater drop the salinity for several days, clams can die.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>Through data analysis and trial and error, Osborne&#8217;s team mapped areas where clams have a higher chance of survival. Under the NOAA award, Osborne helped select two sites for outplanting 21 million clams. So far, the team has released 7 million seed clams and 2 million adults near Stuart, Florida.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Despite the challenges, Osborne remains hopeful. Local governments are developing solutions to issues such as stormwater runoff and septic tank leakage. One county is paying homeowners to convert their septic systems to sewer systems.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>\u201cWe\u2019re making progress and doing something positive,\u201d Osborne said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t rocket science. If we have the will, we can use science and engineering to solve the lagoon\u2019s problems.\u201d<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/science\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and-have-since-outplanted-65-million\/articleshow\/133030865.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After decades of environmental decline, Florida&#8217;s Indian River Lagoon is beginning to show signs of recovery. With funding from NOAA Fisheries&#8217; Office of Habitat Conservation, the Indian River Lagoon Council is leading a system-wide effort to restore the habitats that once sustained the lagoon&#8217;s fish and wildlife. A team of three scientists and one fisherman [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/in-2018-scientists-found-just-39-surviving-clams-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon-they-bred-them-and.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"After decades of environmental decline, Florida&#8217;s Indian River Lagoon is beginning to show signs of recovery. 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