Tl 



In contrast to the soft-clam data, clam-worm abundance and size frequency data suggest 

 that a large recruitment of clam-worms did not occur until 1992. As with the soft-clam, 

 recruitment was not site-specific and varied primarily among years. The high abundances 

 encountered in 1998 core samples suggest that a second "good" year for recruitment may 

 have occurred at this time. 



3.2.2 Beals Island 



3.2.2.1 Soft-Clams ( Mya arenaria) 



Soft-clams were much less abundant at Beals Island than Sheep Island throughout 

 the study. Practically no large-sized animals were collected in rake and pit samples in 

 either 1991 or 1992 (Table 3-5) and too few were collected in the core samples to analyze 

 densities. It was only in 1992 that sufficient specimens were collected to construct a size 

 frequency histogram and then only for the constructed intertidal flat (Figure 3-11). The 

 resulting figure indicates that the population was dominated by animals 36-45 mm in 

 length, a distribution similar to that of Sheep Island reference area populations for the same 

 time period (Figure 3-8). 



Table 3-5. Beals Island Soft-Clam ( Mya arenaria ) Survey Results* 



Year DM n REF n 



1991 







2 







2 



1992 



3.6 



32 



0.7 



6 



*Abundances in No. animals/m ; n = total numbers collected 



Ecological Monitoring of a Constructed Intertidal Flat at Jonesport, Maine 



