I´ve been dreaming about clams.
I´ve been writing about shellfish aquaculture for the past month, and I could not be happier. I think it´s fascinating the clam´s farming economy in Florida, and interviewing farmers was an amazing opportunity to learn more about the field. “A Billion Clams for a Healthier Charlotte Harbor -also known as the ABC plan – is being developed by Hurt and a group of scientists and environmental specialists from different parts of the state in order to restore clam´s farming and protect them from both commercial and recreational harvest in Charlotte Harbor,” summarizes what I´ve been working on in the past week. I was stunned when I heard from one of my sources from another story about this project, and was even excited when my main source, clam farmer and head of the ABC plan, Barry Hurt returned my calls and answered all my questions. He was thrilled that someone wanted to write about his project. He even invited me for a coffee in the future. Although everything seemed perfect, I´ve faced many issues with the story, especially with my multimedia files. I have not had the time to drive to Charlotte Harbor this past weekend as I previously planned and had to face the consequences of not having enough photograph pieces for my story. The toxic red tide has been an issue in the west coast of Florida since 2017, and the idea of growing clams to filtrate seawater and improve the water quality in the Gulf of Mexico is very interesting to me. A single clam can filter about five gallons of water per day, and in great quantity it can help to reduce the toxic Karenia Brevis – microscopical organism that is consumed by the algae, producing Florida red tide. The plan is still under development and Hurt wants to put it into action within six months, but they are seeking funding sources to make the project possible in this timeline. More information of the project can be found in their website. As journalist, I can´t be biased, but I believe that the ABC plan can be one of the many solutions for the Florida red tide, and I really want it to work. Read my full story here: https://giovannakubota.weebly.com/plan.html
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AuthorGiovanna Kubota is a 22-year-old Brazilian pursuing a master's degree in Communication at the University of Central Florida. |