Virginia clam farmers demand clean water
USA: Clam farmers depend on clean water just the same as any other farmer, whether he raises four legged animals or fish. Shell farmers in Virginia are no different and now demand access to areas that provide suitable water quality for their farms.
Virginia's governor has even stated that Virginia should be doing better than rivaling state Maryland shell farmers because Virginia has better water quality.
Though Virginia clam farms are located in areas with high levels of water exchange, significant tidal flows and current, clam farming success has its cost. Waste products from densely located clam farms have resulted in large areas not being usable for any other activities, commercial or recreational.
Since 2002 the state has developed and implemented water quality testing. Since the testing started, it has shown decreasing water quality. They use a five step scale from "excellent" to "very poor". In an area along the shorelines of Public Landing and Johnson Bay to the Virginia line, water quality recently tested "very poor".
It is this deterioration of the water quality the clam farming industry now is reacting to, demanding access to cleaner water.
