National Drought Mitigation Center
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National Drought Mitigation Center
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Drought may be responsible for reduction in rangia clam population in Galveston Bay in Texas
10/31/2014 2:46:17 PM



CATEGORIES:
Plants & Wildlife
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Chambers County, TX
Galveston County, TX
Harris County, TX

Start Date: 10/31/2014 -  
Scientists studying rangia clams found fewer of them in 2014 than in past years in the northeast inlet of Galveston Bay, suggesting to scientists that there was not enough fresh water flowing into the bay from the Trinity River. Rangia clams are found near sources of fresh water and do not reproduce or mature when the water is too salty. Because the mollusk is not commercially harvested, its location and abundance has not been closely monitored, except in connection with oyster surveys. One marine biologist noted that the clams' population had been on the decline for decades, before the current multi-year drought and the widening of the shipping channel. Wichita Falls Times Record News (Texas), Oct. 31, 2014
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