Dr. Dan Killam
Polynesian cultures have used giant clams for food and shell-based crafts for thousands of years. The clams, which take years to reach maturity, can quickly be fished out if they aren't responsibly managed. A new study found that traditional management approaches in American Samoa, which include village elders coming to consensus on seasonal and size-based harvest restrictions, are highly effective at maintaining their populations, sometimes more than federally managed Marine Protected Areas! #clamFacts
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/traditional-protection-proves-more-successful-for-clams-in-american-samoa/
Traditional protection proves more successful for clams in American Samoa

For coastal Indigenous communities in American Samoa, giant clams are deeply rooted in fa‘a Sāmoa (the Samoan way of life) and local food systems. According to the findings of a study published in PeerJ, it is village-based protections like fa‘asao (fishery closures) that have helped conserve giant clams lying in the islands’ shallow water coral […]

Conservation news
Mar 31 at 5:04pmWeb
Show threadAnnelies Kamran, Ph.D.2d ago
@dantheclamman Elinor Ostrom's work on governance continues to be relevant!
Show threadKing of Tors2d ago

@dantheclamman how bizarre! People who have depended on a resource for generations know how to manage it better than people who have too many choices and don't think about where their food comes from?

(Snark not intended for OP or anyone reporting on this: snark very much intended for colonists who thought they knew better than the locals and for descendents of those colonists who didn't question their parents' "knowledge.")

Show threadDr. Dan Killam2d ago
@kingtor yes, it just is great to document it right now, because currently there is a proposal to list several giant clam species as endangered, and it is crucial that the listing be informed by these traditional, time-tested practices if we actually hope to successfully protect these clams.