BIVALVE SURVEY

When making repairs to their submarine power cables (buried up to one metre deep) BC Hydro noticed an abundance of algae and animal growth including clams. In an effort to minimize damage to those animals, BC Hydro’s environment department would quickly set them aside and rebury them in the same spots when the work is complete. 

To better understand the effectiveness of their methods, BC Hydro embarked on a study with the help of Dr. Barbara Beasley, Reddfish Society (formerly known as Central Westcoast Forest Society) and our team at the Ucluelet Aquarium.  Together, we tested BC Hydro’s best practices to protect the clams using the Ucluelet mud flats as a study site. We asked: what are the effects on clams after they are dug out, exposed and reburied? We compared different exposure times for the clams, including: clams that remain buried, clams that have been dug up and reburied immediately and clams that are left out for two hours before reburying.

For more information about the study, read BC Hydro’s article. Stay tuned for the results of the experiment!