Millions of clams wash ashore in Plett

Posted on 19 March 2019

Robberg Beach in Plettenberg Bay has been blanketed in millions of clams, with nearly 6 000 square metres of shoreline covered by the molluscs.

According to the Nature’s Valley Trusts’ (NVT) Facebook page, the clam washouts have become an annual event, and scientists are baffled by why this happens. “The most plausible reason is that strong easterly swells and winds cause a large disturbance in the sand banks in which these clams usually reside. The turbulent water movement may prevent the clams from being able to burrow back and thus become subject to wave action and consequently wash out onto the beach,” the team said. 

 

The washout covers nearly 6 000 square metres of beach (Source: NVT Marine Team/Gwenyth S Penry)

 

The NVT Marine Team was assisted by Kyle Smith from South African National Parks (SANParks) in undertaking a survey and data collection in an attempt to quantify the washout’s biomass.

“Some amazing numbers are coming out of these surveys,” the NVT Marine Team said.

 

SANParks assisted the NVT Marine Team in quantifying the data from the washout (Source: NVT Marine Team/Gwenyth S Penry)

 

The washout covers 5 875 square metres, and a total number of 11.5 million clams washed ashore. “This obviously creates an enormous amount of protein available for scavengers to feed on,” the team said. 

Picture: NVT Marine Team/Gwenyth S Penry






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