The Environmental Control Department is responsible for the management of the area bays and shellfish. This includes the following:
- Hard Clam Survey- an annual survey of the Town’s 10,000 acres of underwater land used to determine the abundance and distribution of clams and oysters and their predators.
- Spawner Sanctuary- an area stocked with clams at high densities with the hope of enhancing reproduction. To date, over 11,000 bushels of clams have been stocked.
- Seed Clam / Oyster Program- the Town purchases seed clam and spat- on shell oysters at 3-5 mm from a local shellfish hatchery on bid. The baby clams and oysters are distributed out in the bay to increase national stocks. Since the program’s inception in 1978 the Town has introduced over 42,000,000 seed clams and over 10,000,000 oyster spat in the Bay.