Using a Stakeholder-Engaged Approach to Understand and Address Bacterial Transport on Soft-Shell Clam Flats

Small-scale fisheries, which are often distributed over large spatial scales and occur in rural settings, tend to lack financial resources and capacity to conduct research on local issues. One approach to overcome this challenge is to use relatively inexpensive environmental monitoring methods with stakeholder engaged science and participatory modeling. Here, we present a case study focused on water pollution impacts and tidal circulation in a mid-coast Maine (USA) estuary to develop a simulation model and a partnership approach that can support soft-shell clamming communities to effectively address water quality, namely bacteriological closures of mudflats. We deployed multiple low-cost drifter buckets, Lagrangian flotation devices that measured surface current speeds and provided validation data for a hydrodynamic model based on finite volume community ocean model (FVCOM). The drifter buckets resolved the influence of wind, tidal currents, and bathymetry on surface water circulation patterns between the main channel and adjacent mudflats, highlighting the impact of cross-estuary winds during slack tides on potential bacterial transport. We calculated residence time using the validated FVCOM model: in the prohibited area (~ 2.5 days), and the conditional area (~ 0.5 days). This information has already influenced local management decisions and helped shape new conservation projects. In addition to contributing new understanding about tidal patterns in this coastal region, our novel methodology of combining field techniques, FVCOM modeling, and stakeholder engagement helps show how engaged research approaches can improve regulatory outcomes for small-scale fisheries while also protecting public health.