Learn why clams are a necessary and critical part of our ecosystem
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Learn why clams are a necessary and critical part of our ecosystem *
Shifting Baseline Syndrome
“Imagine what our oceans were like 100 years ago. Imagine the clarity of the water, the reef life teeming across vast expanses, fish so abundant that a single net haul could overflow with life. Now imagine that you’ve never seen that ocean—never known that richness. For you, the ocean you grew up with is ‘normal’. But that is part of the tragedy we are facing: a phenomenon called Shifting Baseline Syndrome.
Shifting Baseline Syndrome means that each generation accepts a progressively degraded state of the natural world as the standard. What our grandparents might have recognized as incredible abundance, our parents see as diminished. And what we see today, if nothing changes, the next generation will regard as the peak. We lose not only the ecosystems themselves, but the memory of what was possible, and thus the urgency to act.
Over the past century, our marine habitats have been under relentless pressure. We have witnessed massive declines—losses in coral reefs, mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses, kelp forests, and so many others. These losses aren’t just statistics—they are alarms warning us that the baseline has shifted too far.”
Dive Deeper
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Dream it.
“The last 100 years have shifted our baseline so far that some people believe today’s degraded waters are normal. But they are not. They are a shadow of what was, and of what could be again. Clean water is not just a legacy issue—it’s a living emergency. If we can remember abundance, we can fight for it. And if we fight for it, we can restore it—for Sarasota, for Florida, and for every generation yet to come
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Build it.
Restoring clam populations from Tampa Bay to the Venice Jetties offers a natural solution to Florida’s water quality challenges. Each clam filters about more than 20 gallons of water per day, removing algae, suspended particles, and contaminants while helping cycle excess nitrogen into harmless gas. Healthy clam beds improve water clarity, promote seagrass recovery, and reduce the intensity and duration of red tide blooms. While they can’t remove dissolved herbicides directly, clams lessen their harmful effects by clearing algae that absorb residues and fueling microbial breakdown in sediments. Together, these benefits strengthen coastal ecosystems, support fisheries and tourism, and create a cleaner, more resilient Gulf Coast.
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Grow it.
Community support is vital to restoring clam populations because large-scale seeding, monitoring, and long-term success require both financial investment and hands-on involvement. Unlike engineered solutions, clam restoration delivers lasting, self-sustaining benefits—but only if we can build the initial foundation together. Funding ensures the production and planting of millions of clams, while volunteers and local partners help monitor survival, track water quality improvements, and spread awareness. By contributing time, resources, or donations, the community becomes a direct partner in creating cleaner water, healthier fisheries, stronger tourism, and a more resilient coast for future generations.
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Sustain it.
Over the next decade, we aim to restore Sarasota Bay with the release of one million native clams each year—totaling nearly 10 million clams—capable of filtering billions of gallons of water annually. This $20 million initiative builds hatchery partnerships, nursery and grow-out systems, and community engagement programs to ensure long-term ecological and economic benefits. By reducing nutrient pollution, improving water clarity, supporting fisheries, and enhancing coastal resilience, the project delivers measurable results for both the environment and the people who depend on healthy bays and estuaries.
