Restoration by Transplantation: Using a Filter-Feeding Gastropod, Crepidula fornicata, to Rehabilitate Great South Bay, New York: Preliminary Surveys

Coastal biogenic habitats provide a plethora of ecosystem services that enhance the commercial and recreational value of the system. Specifically, shellfish beds play a critical role in improving water quality, creating complex habitat for other commercial species, and serving as a trophic resource for surrounding nutrient-poor habitats. Great South Bay, New York, was historically one of the most productive estuaries in the nation, yet commercial shellfisheries have collapsed here due to overharvest. These filter-feeding shellfish species, in particular hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria , once provided important ecosystem services, including top-down control of phytoplankton blooms. Overharvest of clams has led to a marked decrease in water quality of Great South Bay. Restocking efforts have been unsuccessful due to the prevalence of brown tide, Aureococcus anophagefferens , blooms and decrease in overall water quality. We have proposed that the filter-feeding gastropod, Crepidula fornicata , may provide the necessary filtration capacity for successful hard clam ecosystem restoration. Further, the addition of Crepidula fornicata to Great South Bay has the potential to increase habitat, and as a result, secondary productivity. Here we present preliminary endobenthic biodiversity data from sites upon which experimental Crepidula beds will be constructed.