Little clams making a big difference: Rochefortia tumida obscure juvenile bivalve results in the Gulf Islands
Presentation Abstract
Changing climate in recent years has lead to a decrease in resiliency for marine species, negatively impacting Indigenous food systems and Indigenous peoples’ ability to practice traditional ways of life. One way to increase the resilience of marine ecosystems can be found in ancient technologies used for millennia by Indigenous people, such as clam gardens. Clam gardens are an Indigenous form of shellfish management that allow coastal communities to maintain an interaction with nature that is resilient. Clam gardens were created by First Nation people by rolling rocks down the beach at low tide creating a rock wall. This rock wall created a terrace which expands clam habitat. As part of a joint project between Parks Canada and ten Coast Salish Nations, two clam gardens are being restored in the Southern Gulf Islands, BC. The purpose of this project is to determine how clam gardens are providing a unique habitat for bivalves, specifically under five millimeters. Bivalves were separated from surface sediment core samples taken from clam garden beaches and control sites. Species composition was determined for bivalves above 1mm. Results show that 89% of bivalves assessed on clam gardens were Robust mysella, a unique clam which reaches a maximum length of three millimeters. These results highlight the importance of species level identification to determine the impact of clam gardens on traditional food species.
Session Title
Posters: Ecosystem Management, Policy, & Protection
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-51
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Mariculture--British Columbia--Gulf Islands; Clams--Habitat--British Columbia--Gulf Islands; Indigenous peoples--Food--British Columbia--Gulf Islands
Geographic Coverage
Gulf Islands (B.C.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Little clams making a big difference: Rochefortia tumida obscure juvenile bivalve results in the Gulf Islands
Changing climate in recent years has lead to a decrease in resiliency for marine species, negatively impacting Indigenous food systems and Indigenous peoples’ ability to practice traditional ways of life. One way to increase the resilience of marine ecosystems can be found in ancient technologies used for millennia by Indigenous people, such as clam gardens. Clam gardens are an Indigenous form of shellfish management that allow coastal communities to maintain an interaction with nature that is resilient. Clam gardens were created by First Nation people by rolling rocks down the beach at low tide creating a rock wall. This rock wall created a terrace which expands clam habitat. As part of a joint project between Parks Canada and ten Coast Salish Nations, two clam gardens are being restored in the Southern Gulf Islands, BC. The purpose of this project is to determine how clam gardens are providing a unique habitat for bivalves, specifically under five millimeters. Bivalves were separated from surface sediment core samples taken from clam garden beaches and control sites. Species composition was determined for bivalves above 1mm. Results show that 89% of bivalves assessed on clam gardens were Robust mysella, a unique clam which reaches a maximum length of three millimeters. These results highlight the importance of species level identification to determine the impact of clam gardens on traditional food species.
