Table 1.— Size and heavy metals analysis of sediment from the bloodworm and sandworm producing portions of the marine worm 



conservation area at Wiscasset, Maine. 









Sandworms 







Bloodworms 





Subsample depth in core (cm) 



0.0-3.0 cm 



3.5- 



15 5 



15.5-19.0 19.0-25.5 



0.0-4.5 



4.5-8.0 



12.5-17.0 



18.0-23.5 











Sediment size 













Gravel (>2.0mm)(%) 



0.32 



0.65 



0.31 



0.36 



0.02 



0.06 





0.10 



0.22 



Sand (2.0-0.063 mm) (%) 



9.52 



11 



.24 



10.72 



8.73 



9.66 



6.54 





7.23 



6.62 



Silt (0.063-0.004 mm) (%) 



49.18 



54.95 



56.30 



58.53 



75.77 



63.60 





61.46 



59.25 



Clay(<0.004mm)(%) 



40.99 



33 



16 



32.67 



32.39 



14.55 



29.79 





31.21 



33.92 













Heavy metals 











Subsample depth in core (cm) 





0.4 





12-16 









0-4 





12-16 



Copper (ppm dry weight) 





24.5 





18.4 









17.3 





16.9 



Zinc (ppm dry weight) 





212 





169.3 









151 





138.5 



Manganese (ppm dry weight) 





347 





323.2 









266 





277.8 



Chromium (ppm dry weight) 





57.8 





43.9 









36.7 





39.3 



Cobalt (ppm dry weight) 





18.4 





15.4 









10.9 





14.0 



Nickel (ppm dry weight) 





37.0 





30.7 









37.7 





30.7 



Iron(%) 





3.6 





3.2 









2.9 





2.8 



Organic carbon (%) 





2.27 





2.19 









2.27 





2.1 



HABITAT (BLOODWORMS) 



The bloodworm is a relatively common inhabitant of intertidal 

 flats bordering brackish waters and tidal estuaries (Pettibone 1963). 

 Bloodworm diggers generally share the opinion that bloodworms 

 are found in greatest abundance around freshwater streams that 

 empty into coves (Ganaros footnote 4). Under many circum- 

 stances, areas affected by considerable quantities of freshwater run- 

 off may be occupied by bloodworms and not by sandworms and 

 clams (Dow and Wallace; 11 Pettibone 1963). Although blood- 

 worms are commonly found in soft organically rich muds (Klawe 

 and Dickie 1957), the mud is usually more compact than that found 

 in commercial sandworm digging areas (Ganaros footnote 4). 

 Klawe and Dickie (1957) believed that a relationship exists 

 between soil type and abundance; a continuous increase in abun- 

 dance exists in the following series of sediment types: sand, hard 

 clay, dark sand, sand and mud, and soft mud. Sanders et al. (1962), 

 on the other hand, reported that in Barnstable Harbor, Mass., the 

 largest numbers of bloodworms were found at sandy stations. 

 Andrews (1892) has recorded bloodworms as inhabiting shoals in 

 the Beaufort, N.C., area. In the same area, Adams and Angelovic 

 (1970) described the bloodworm as one of the dominant species of 

 infauna in estuarine eelgrass beds. At certain times of the year, 

 bloodworms containing immature gametes can be found swimming 

 free in some bays, harbors, and river channels (Graham and Creaser 

 1978; Dean 1978b). They have also been dredged in water up to 

 approximately 400 m deep on bottoms of sand, mud, mud mixed 

 with gravel, rocks, and particularly in mud rich in detritus (Petti- 

 bone 1963). 



Bloodworms are dug commercially from the mud at depths up to 

 25 cm (Pettibone 1963). Commerical bloodworm concentrations 

 are usually not as dense as commercial sandworm concentrations 

 (Ganaros footnote 4). 



Worm holes are not characteristic of a bloodworm flat (Ganaros 

 footnote 4). However, evidence for the passage of oxygenated 

 water through the burrows is revealed by the presence of a layer of 

 lighter colored oxidized sediments around each burrow 

 (Mangum; l4 Pedrick 1978). 



During a study of the bloodworm population at Wiscasset, Maine 

 (Creaser 1973), the surface water salinity varied between 10.4 and 

 30.2% and the surface river temperature varied between - 1.2° 

 and 20.3°C. The bottom river salinity varied between 15.1 and 

 30.5% and bottom temperature varied between -0.6° and 

 19.0°C. The interstitial mud temperature for this same area varied 

 between 0.8° and 16.7°C. The results of more recent salinity and 

 temperature studies from this same area (Creaser et al. footnote 12) 

 have already been reported under sandworm habitat. 



Bloodworm sediments within DMR's closed marine worm con- 

 servation area at Wiscasset were also analyzed by Pedrick (footnote 

 8). The results of size and heavy metals analysis of bloodworm sed- 

 iments are presented in Table 1 . The physical properties of the sedi- 

 ment taken approximately halfway between the bloodworm and 

 sandworm producing portions of the flat are recorded in Table 2. A 

 more detailed analysis of marine worm sediment size from Wiscas- 

 set and other areas along the Maine coast is available from DMR 

 files. 



Table 2. — Physical properties of the sediment taken approximately halfway 

 between the bloodworm and sandworm producing portion of the closed conser- 

 vation area at Wiscasset, Maine. 



Subsample depth in core (cm) 1 



Property 



0-6.5 



6.5-18 



18-24 



Wet unit weight (g/cm 3 ) 



1.42 



1.48 



1.53 



Specific gravity of solids 



2.62 



2.60 



2.62 



Water content (% dry weight) 



110.10 



90.04 



78.00 



Void ratio 



2.883 



2.337 



2.045 



Saturated void ratio 



2.883 



2.337 



2.045 



Porosity (%) 



74.2 



70.0 



67.2 



'Subsampling depths determined by X-ray diffraction techniques. 



HISTORY OF THE 

 MARINE WORM FISHERY 



It is generally agreed that a small marine baitworm fishery was in 

 operation on Long Island, N.Y., during 1921-22. However, small 

 scale worm transactions between a few individuals may have 

 occurred on Long Island considerably before these dates (Wan- 

 ser 15 ). By the mid-1920's the Long Island fishery had become well 



l3 Dow, R. L. , and D. E. Wallace. 1955. Marine worm management and conserva- 

 tion. Maine Dep. Sea Shore Fish., Fish. Circ. 16, 9 p. 



"C. P. Mangum, Associate Professor, College of William and Mary, Williams- 

 burg, VA 23185, pers. commun. May 1972. 



15 A. Wanser, marine worm dealer. Milbridge, ME 04658. pers. commun. July 

 1979. 



