The Downeast Institute will share the results from field experiments designed to test the effectiveness of brushing, predator deterrent netting, and doing nothing on clam recruitment and survival in each of the three regions of the Maine coast 5 p.m. Tuesday during a meeting of the Harpswell Marine Resources Committee at Town Hall.

Brian Beal will present the findings from the first-ever study into the efficacy of brushing. Brushing involves inserting tree boughs into the mudflats in the hopes that it will increase commercial populations of clams.

The intertidal experiment compares the amount of clam recruits found in brushed plots to the amount of clams found in predator-protected plots as well as to areas with no brushing or predator protection.

Scientists from the institute worked with clammers and municipal officials from Harpswell to conduct the field research from May 25 to Oct. 25 2019. The same experiment was conducted in Bremen and Goudsboro.

For more information about the study, visit https://downeastinstitute.org/research/soft-shell-clams/testing-the-effectiveness-of-brushing-across-the-maine-coast/.