LUBEC — Shellfish Committee members and meeting attendees raised concerns last week about unlicensed harvesters poaching clams from closed beaches, digging after dark to avoid detection and at least one incident of someone harvesting clams during a red tide.
The committee also discussed potential clam flat closures and openings and began planning conservation efforts for next year.
Reached by telephone after the Aug. 6 meeting, Lubec Shellfish Warden Russell Wright emphasized that enforcement is a community effort. Wright, who works under a 10‑hour‑per‑week contract, said residents should call him if they see illegal harvesting. His contact number is posted on the town of Lubec website, and he said reports will remain anonymous unless they end up in court.
He added that the state is responsible for enforcing red tide closures.
Wright also updated the committee on efforts to reopen closed flats. He said contamination issues on several North Lubec flats have been resolved and that one beach will reopen once the state completes testing.
Wright said the source of contamination on the Diamond Point flat has not yet been identified, and that winter months are typically better for pinpointing such problems.
Committee Chair Jennifer Brody said the committee has secured $4,000 for another round of clam seeding next year. The seed will again be purchased from the Downeast Institute in Beals, and this time it will be 8 mm — twice the size used in this year’s conservation efforts.
The committee also heard a short presentation from Noel Abrahamson, a University of Washington oceanography graduate who lives in East Machias. Abrahamson, an instructor at Washington County Community College in Calais, is seeking community support to identify and protect eelgrass, a flowering seagrass found in the subtidal zone that is declining worldwide, including in Maine.
Abrahamson said eelgrass provides important nursery habitat for marine life, prevents erosion and may slow plankton movement, helping clams feed. She asked harvesters for help locating eelgrass beds in Lubec and requested a committee letter of support as she pursues grant funding for her project.
The committee was supportive but declined to issue a letter, asking for clarification on how an eelgrass conservation program might affect shellfish harvesting. Abrahamson said she would look into the issue.
Brody said the committee plans to remove netting for the winter from new seed plots in the Lawrence’s Factory, Globe Cove and Klondike flats on the morning of Nov. 15. The netting protects seed clams from green crabs and other predators but must be removed before winter to prevent it from being lost to icing and wind.
