{"id":343374,"date":"2024-09-16T16:48:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T14:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=343374"},"modified":"2024-09-16T16:48:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T14:48:51","slug":"largest-of-the-saved-clams-part-3-inaugural-megafauna-expedition-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=343374","title":{"rendered":"Largest of the Saved Clams, Part 3. Inaugural Megafauna Expedition, September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Jennifer Marohasy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0jennifer<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May 1992, and again in March and April 1993, the Royal Australian Navy, specifically HMAS Tarakan, was involved in the translocation of tens of thousands of clams as part of Operation CLAMSAVER.  The clams were moved from a successful breeding program at Orpheus Island to various locations on the Great Barrier Reef, including to Grub Reef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am grateful to Jon Daly for providing me some photographs from that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daly wrote: \u201cThe guy in the top image is Paul Livermore \u2026  photograph of Tarakans tank deck covered in plastic scallop shaped children\u2019s paddling pools a continuous spray from the ship\u2019s fire main \u2026  I\u2019m in the blue t-shirt. [end quotes].  And I have more notes from other conversation with Jon Daly, for another time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There appears to have been little if any follow-up, to know the fate of the clams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considering the photographic evidence from Jon Daly, the clams were not much more than30cm in length when they were moved.    How big are they now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the inaugural Megafauna Expedition \u2013 with the charter of the MV Sea Esta funded by Sydney-based philanthropist Simon Fenwick \u2013 we set off for Grub Reef on Wednesday, 4th<\/sup> September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The skipper, Paul Crocombe, did some careful research and reconnaissance in advance of the expedition and was able to find one of the translocation sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the blustery conditions, strong surface current and the ever-present risk of colliding with a one of the many bombies, Paul got the MV Sea Esta safely into Grub Reef and the team close to one of the translocation sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good job!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underwater photographer Jenn Mayes with her scuba buddy Nadine Huth found and photographed the largest clam at 1.47 metres.  Congratulations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And so, the winning photograph in the expedition\u2019s photographic category \u2018largest clam\u2019 is by Jenn Mayes and shows Nadine Huth holding the metre long ruler across one of the clams saved by the Royal Australian Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same clam is shown in the feature photograph at the very top of this blog post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be clear, this is one of the clams saved by the Royal Australian Navy as part of operation CLAMSAVER.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is so much more to tell, about that day at Grub Reef and how it unfolded, even a whale shark encounter for Dave Armstrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rick Braley, who was involved in the original translocation effort, asked that we measure some clams, and that was not only done by the photographers with their yardsticks, but the underwater team also had a tape measure.  The mean length of the clams measured on the first dive with the tape measure was 1.11 metres (n=6), and on the second dive was 0.91 (n=8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Jenn Mayes found more than clams at Grub Reef, even a slipper lobster on the night dive, filmed by Stuart Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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