Sarasota Bay Watch receives aquaculture lease to raise clams for bay restoration

SARASOTA COUNTY – Sarasota Bay Watch Inc. recently has received approval for an underwater aquaculture lease for clam restoration and research.

This is the first lease of its type – dedicated strictly to research and restoration purposes, as opposed to the commercial ventures that the state has been approving for more than two decades.

Sarasota Bay Watch Executive Director Ronda Ryan said what sets the nonprofit’s lease on the underwater plot apart from previous leases is that all the clams will be used for waterfront restoration purposes only.

The lease agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Aquaculture gives Sarasota Bay Watch the rights to raise and distribute southern hard-shell clams to improve regional water quality.