![]() ![]() Ocean clams are harvested from the sandy bottom, which does not contain the diverse biology found in cobble or mud, he said. "These dredges also might have a more significant impact if they were used in different areas," he said. ![]() ![]() The relatively small size of the fleet translates into little impact on the continental shelf, said Mr. These four vessels were part of a fleet of about 50 clam boats that operate from Cape Hatteras to New Bedford in waters more than three miles off the shore. Two other sinkings were off New Jersey, and the third ran aground. The Cape Fear sunk 13 miles off New Bedford, taking the lives of two men. The ocean quahog and surf clam fisheries have made headlines recently because four clam boats sank in early January and 10 crew men died in these accidents. "That doesn't mean we won't revisit this at some time." "We don't think in this fishery that the gear impacts are significant," he said. Tom Hoff, senior ecologist for the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council, said he and other scientists have examined the impact of these dredges on the sea floor. The clams are readied for the taking by a pressurized stream of water that the ship pumps to the dredge in a wide-mouthed hose. Ocean quahogs are harvested from the sea floor with a hydraulic dredge that scrapes along the bottom to collect the fist-sized clams. In recent years, environmental groups and some scientists have taken aim at many forms of commercial fishing, but the ocean quahog industry has been spared much of the heat. ![]()
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