BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 23, 2021
Several hundred yards offshore, nestled in the mud of the Mill Creek Estuary, an experiment is underway to reduce coastal acidification that is decimating shellfish development and threatening Maine’s $15.7 million softshell clam harvest. On Friday, researchers and volunteers laid out 120 plots of crushed oyster shells on the tidal on the southern shore of Portland Harbor, near the mouth of the Fore River as it flows into Casco Bay. The experiment will test whether oyster shells collected from Portland-area restaurants can be used to reduce the acidity of tidal flats and restore shellfish production, all while keeping diners’ discarded shells out of the waste stream.