Florida Clam Growers Struggle as Aquaculture Industry Reports $34M Loss From Hurricane Idalia
October 4, 2023 | 1 min to read
In Ruskin, the clam supply at Two Docks Shellfish is critically low due to recent storms, impacting revenue and employment. Dr. Aaron Welch, president of the company, noted that Hurricane Ian caused millions of clams to die from freshwater flooding, while Hurricane Idalia further devastated clam populations in Cedar Key. The ongoing effects of these disasters are significantly felt throughout the Tampa Bay Area seafood market.
RUSKIN, Fla. — At Two Docks Shellfishin Ruskin, clams are grown and then sold to restaurants, seafood markets, and distributors throughout the Tampa Bay Area, but lately, the shellfish farmers have been tight on supply.
“There just aren’t as many clams in the world as there should be right now due to those two storms, and that has a series of downstream effects, revenue, employment, and things like that,” said Dr. Aaron Welch, president of Two Docks Shellfish.
Last year, Welch said freshwater flooded the bay during Hurricane Ian, killing millions of clams. He added that the enormous storm surge following Hurricane Idalia the previous month wiped out millions more clams in hard-hit Cedar Key and he does business with clam growers there.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: WFTS