Maine Shellfish News and Meetings
Town Shellfish Meetings
Information on town municipal shellfish meetings, and DMR staff attending the meetings, is available on the Town Shellfish Meetings page.
Shellfish Advisory Council
Created through legislation, the Shellfish Advisory Council will serve a similar function to its predecessor, the Maine Soft-shell Clam Advisory Council. More information is available on the Shellfish Advisory Council web page.
Closed Areas Online
The Public Health Division of the DMR has a website for areas closed to the taking of shellfish due to pollution. A legal description and map of each area is available. Select the following link for more information: Shellfish Closed Area Inventory page .
PSP (red tide) closures are also posted on the website. Select the following link for information on red tide closures: Maine Red Tide (PSP) Closure page.
Up-to-date closure information is also available on the Maine Red Tide and Shellfish Sanitation Hotline page.
Landings Information
Statewide clam landing information is provided to the Department by shellfish dealers. Select the following link for landings information: Commercial Landings
Strange Clam
A few commercial harvesters have found a clam in West Bath that looks similar to a soft-shell clam but definitely is not. A bivalve with thin white shells about 2" in length and a slightly tapered siphon about 5" long when extended, this clam is an Atlantic Mud-piddock (Barnea truncata). Also known as a Fallen Angel Wing or Truncate Borer, this clam is more common in New York and New Jersey. A boring clam related to the False Angel Wing, its normal habitat is within peat or clay. Its occurrence may be signaling a seawater warming trend; diggers are also reporting seeing more quahogs, which prefer warmer waters.
Softshell Clam Research
Select the following link for research papers and articles directly related to shellfish management: Shellfish Research
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership Grants
Automated Weather Stations
The Casco Bay Estuary Partnership provided the funds to purchase automated weather stations. The weather stations will be distributed to municipalities in Casco Bay interested in conducting water quality studies related to rainfall or to assist in the management of shellfish areas classified as conditionally approved based upon rainfall. The automated systems collect rainfall and other metrological data that are then available on the web. Select the following link for more information: DMR-sponsored Weather Stations.
