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Feeding Florida: Clam Farming
This week, Good Day is sharing the stories of some of the hard-working ranchers and farmers in our state. On Tuesday, we continued with clam farming in Cedar Key and Heith Davis, one of the nearly 400 clam farmers there.
CEDAR KEY, Fla. - Historic Cedar Key is where you go to get away from it all.
It's known for its quaint hotels and great views, but there's one little thing that's synonymous with this area of Florida's nature coast.
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"There's about 180 million clams leaving Cedar Key every year. And those clams go everywhere," says local clam farmer, Heath Davis.
Heath grew up in Cedar Key. He's one of about 400 clam farmers there.
Since he was a boy, this third-generation clam farmer has watched the evolution of those who make a living on these waters.
Heath Davis
"Back in the day when we harvested the natural resources here, and we didn’t know it, but we were taking from the environment. Now with farming, we’re putting back," he describes.
Heath's farm comes in the form of two-acre plots just off the coast of Cedar Key. Clam farmers lease them from the state.
They can put up to 6000 clam bags on a single plot. Inside those bags, they grow fresh Florida clams.
"We call it aquaculture," says Heath. "We buy those clams from hatcheries at about four millimeters, about the size of a large ballpoint pen. And then we start the process of growing the clam, and we nurture that clam for anywhere from 18 to 24 months through the whole process."
The result of that process is what Heath describes as the ‘perfect food.’
"It's good for you. It's healthy. It's doing your body good. And everything that the shellfish has done to get to your plate made the environment better."
Clams are filter feeders that are constantly cleaning the water around them.
"If you love Florida, there's no better investment that you can make than buying a Florida shellfish," he says.
Cedar Key Clams go to grocery stores, restaurants, and even cruise ships. Most of Heath's go to Publix stores throughout Florida.
Farmers are on the water every day. It's long hours, physical work, and there's always the weather conditions.
"Sometimes we look at the weather forecast, and sometimes it’s better to not know how bad it’s going to go," laughs Heath.
The increase in Gulf water temperatures and higher bacteria counts are some of the biggest concerns when it comes to the future of clam farming. But Heath says the industry has a bright future, thanks to a high level of interest from younger generations.
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"We embrace that new farmer. We try to help them. We befriend them in any way that we can. We try to work with them, and we try to show them what we've done wrong. And we try to show them where we got lucky."
After a day on the water with Heath, you'd swear you were hanging out with the luckiest person alive.
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"I see a lot of people who live in an area they love, but they have to do a job that they don’t love. That’s what’s so unique about the clam industry and Cedar Key for me. I get to live where I love, and I get to work where I love."