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Causes: Environment, Water, Water Resources, Wetlands Conservation & Management
Mission: The mission of Quahog Bay Conservancy is to revitalize the ecosystem of Quahog Bay to a robust and resilient state for all communities that depend on it. Through sustainable aquaculture, ecosystem monitoring, and community education, we aim to conserve natural habitat, protect native wildlife, foster environmental stewards, and support Maine’s working waterfront.
Programs: Mitigation activities — Quahog Bay Conservancy (QBC) is involved with many different aquatic pollution and invasive species mitigation projects.
First: QBC has been removing, and will continue to remove, trash at the surface by boat, and trash and debris below the surface by scuba divers. This will improve the water quality in this area. Second: QBC maintains and operates a septic pump out boat, which provides a free service for traveling boat cruisers, giving them the opportunity to have their septic holding tanks pumped rather than discharging them into the sea.
Third: QBC is one of Maine's largest invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) trappers. QBC traps approximately 4,600 lbs. of the ecologically and economically damaging predators out of Quahog Bay yearly. Fourth: QBC routinely performs stationary water sampling at nine different sites within Quahog Bay. These samples are tested for pollutants, data is documented and shared with the state of Maine marine research groups.
Fifth: QBC has launched an oyster farm within Quahog Bay. Each oyster filters 50 gallons of water per day and when they reach maturity, are sold and profits go directly back into funding QBC programs. These programs ensure we protect the ecological integrity of the bay on behalf of all communities that depend on it.