WASHINGTON, D.C. — A quarter-million juvenile clams are getting a new lease on life.

Officials say the clams are being placed in an upweller system where they’ll be fed and protected from predators before being transferred to a protected area where they will be able to grow ideally with minimal threat from green crabs.

The first step was completed at the University of Maine at Machias and the Downeast Institute, along with Stewards of the Sea.

Rep. Mike Michaud called it an important step toward combatting the destruction caused by the invasive green crab and protecting Maine’s sea life.