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February 12, 1998 - Wanted: the Safe Return of Eel GrassFebruary 12, 1998 • The Suffolk Times • 7A Wanted; the Safe Return of Eel Grass "It's time for some clam chowder," Barbara said. I was all for that, but it always means I wind up opening the clams, which if done in the usual man- ner can be quite a job, particularly when they are the big chowder clams and that's what they were. I'd gotten �OCU$ them in the bay last fall and On frozen them. Whenever we get Mature a surplus of fish, Paul eels, clams, etc., by into the freezer Stoutenburgh they go. With clams you can freeze them either of two ways. Open them fresh, grind them up and freeze it all in a solid block. Then they are readily available for chow- der, baked clams, scalloped clams, clam fritters, etc. The other way is to leave them right in the shell, that's right, right in the shell and it works fine. We use a plastic grocery bag. The first method takes time and a bit of doing to open them, but then you have a compact pack- age to freeze. The other way is quick and simple: Just put them shells and all in the freezer. The problem is this method takes a little more room. The way I prepare for chowder is put the frozen clams, shells and all, in a pot and run hot water over them. Then after a few minutes it's an easy job to slip the knife in and flip out the still- frozen clam. What you've done is you've heated the clam shell, which releases the clam inside, so that it's then a simple job to open. I must have opened 15 or 20 big chowder clams in less than five minutes. From there I let Barbara take over with her cast -iron grinder grinding up the clams, still frozen. Large Clams in the Bay There's nothing better than a pot of soup, chowder or an old- fashioned stew simmering on the wood stove, as a mat- ter of fact any stove, during the cold winter months. We've been blessed with a small wood lot to cut from and it keeps us supplied most of the time. Then there are always those who have extra wood they can't use and, of course, this is added to our supply. One such source was my son -in -law's generous donation resulting from his cleanup last summer, when he cut down a few trees that were doing too good a job of shading his place. Most were small but then that made cutting that much easier. All wood should have a period of drying out, as green wood is inefficient to burn because you have to use extra heat to dry out the wood before it's ready to burn and all this takes extra fuel. I'd like to go back to the large clams that I dug in Cutchogue Harbor last fall. Their being there was verified in a Suffolk Times arti- cle by Phil Car- dinale Jr. when he reported recently on a yearlong sur- vey that the state department of con- servation had just completed in our bays with refer- ence to the amount of clams, their rel- ative size and where they were found. The survey documents that the bays have a larger proportion of big clams than the shallow creek waters where the small, more marketable, clams are found. I've often wondered why this phe- nomenon of big clams and an almost to- tal absence of small clams occurs in our bays. I can remember years ago when I was a naturalist working over on the Fire Island National Seashore, I'd often take people on walks along the bay side of that notorious sandy strip. It was always easy to just wade out 20 to 30 feet and find clams by treading amongst the eel grass, and there's the answer. I believe eel grass gives the needed protection from predators when clams spawn. We know that clams in their first stage of development are free - swimming and after a short period they settle to the bot- tom, where they usually stay. True, clams do move, but not any great distance and then very slowly. When we summered on the bay I'd often snorkel out in front of the cottage exploring the bottom and I found it com- pletely devoid of any grass; as a matter of fact, it was almost like a desert down there. One thing I did notice was the sand crabs and other predators, as the thick matting protects the larvae of the clams and scallops and others. Just why this theory doesn't work for the scallops of late i don't know. We're all waiting for the day when the conditions are just right for a natural set of scallops in our bays, but until then we'll just have to rely on our seeding programs. I think there are still a few "old - timers" around who can remember when most of our creeks and bays were car- peted with eel grass. It was a time when discarded eel grass washed a- shore and made great windrows along the high -tide line. This is still true to some extent in Hallocks Bay and also on the south side. Years ago I tried to get a transplanting pro- gram of eel grass for our bays but at that time they couldn't find the $3,000 to initiate the program. The devastating disease that wiped out the eel grass in the '30s has played havoc with our fish, our shellfish and our wildlife ever since. It's crippled much of our duck and goose population. Brant, a type of goose whose livelihood was dependent on eel grass, was all but wiped out before they were slowly weaned to another source of food. Scaup or broadbill ducks, which once rafted in our bays by the thousands, have all but left. The one place you can usual- ly still see them, but in smaller numbers, is in Orient Harbor, again a place that has seen the return of eel grass. Perhaps in the future the bays and creeks will once again flourish with this wonder grass. And once again the crabs, shellfish and fish will make our East End an even better piace to live. Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh CHOWDER CLAM— Although this granddaddy of our hard clams is not prized as much as the littleneck and cherrystone clams, it does make great chowder, baked clams and clam fritters. it w694M S wImlw n. jm& ■aaa a WWWn Mason 75 Years Ago Feb. 99 1923 Town Board Business: When the Southold Town Board met at the office of Supervisor Tuthill, it was voted to expend the money received under the Lowman Act this year to build a cement road on Peconic Lane. It was voted to advertise for bids for lighting the Orient Lighting District, with 40 electric lights, for a term of five years at a cost not to exceed $1,000 per year. Actor Pays Big Tax: Of the $500,000 which Jackie Coogan, child film actor, is said to have received as a bonus for signing a contract with Metro Pictures Corporation, $260,720 will go to the government in the form of income tax, according to figures made public by Rex Goodell, col- lector of internal revenue. Local Gleanings: The veterans of the Civil War now living in Southold Town are Bert Tabor, John H. Young, John D. Cleveland, Orient; A.W. Case, Leonard Butler, Edward Ging, Greenport; Robert Ebbetts, Oliver Mayo, Henry W. Prince, William Osborn, Charles E. Terry, Southold; Henry O. Horton, Henry Hallock, Cutchogue; and Anthony Hearne, Mattituck. 50 Years Ago Feb. 12, 1948 Boxing Matches Coming: Under the auspices of the SterlingAthletic Club of Greenport there will be boxing match- great number of lady crabs or sand crabs, as some call them. These ever - marauding predators, I'm sure, feed on any and all kinds of larvae, be it clams, scallops, oysters and yes, even baby fish. Add their constant attack to the multitude of small snails and whelks that vacuum our bay bottom and one can see why there are no small clams, or very few, in our bays. Eel Grass in Hallocks Bay To some extent this theory can be sup- ported by clams in Hallocks Bay. Here, among the eel grass, one can usually find clams of marketable and preferred size. The eel grass acts like a barrier to the es at the Greenport Skating Club on Tuesday evening, March 30. Further details will be published in The Suffolk Times. Fish Company Has Visitors: Last week two resi- dents of San Sebastian, Spain, inspected the refrigerating plant of the Woodcleft Fish Company at Mattituck. The two Spanish gentlemen, who are interested in constructing refrig- eration plants in Spain so that people living inland can obtain fresh seafood in place of dried fish, were greatly interested in the Woodcleft Company's plant. After a thorough inspection of the plant, they made detailed drawings of the plant and its refrigerating equipment. 25 Years Ago Feb. 8, 1972 School Scene: Mattituck's 1973 Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow is Donna Smith. Selected by score in a written knowledge and attitude examination, Donna will receive a specially designed award from General Mills. In addition, Donna remains eligible for state and national hon- ors. This year was the first year boys were able to participate in the contest. Mattituck had five boys take the exam. Village Buys Parking Lot: In a rare moment of total agreement the Greenport Village Board voted unanimously Monday night to place a binder on a $15,000 parcel of prop- erty in the village with an option to buy if it is found suitable for use as a parking lot. The land is 100 feet by 194 feet on Adams Street between First and Third streets. Naturalist Training Offered for U. Parks SOUTHOLD — Cornell Cooperative Extension's Marine Program is offering a five -week, 10- session "Master Natu- ralist Training Program." The course, offered in conjunction with the National Park Service, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Suffolk County Parks, will train volunteers about Long Island's wildlife environ- ments. On completion, participants will have acquired the knowledge needed to lead interpretative programs in the Long Island park system. Certified master naturalists will be expected to spend 45 hours leading their volunteer park programs within one year. Classes will be held at Cedar Beach in Southold on Fridays and Saturdays bginning April 3. Cost is $75. An addi- tional $75 fee will be reimbursed once the volunteer obligations have been met. Preregistration is required. Call 852- 8660.