In late October Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) community science volunteer Ashley Leemans tossed an aquatic rake into Lake Champlain and pulled in a clam while doing a routine monitoring check for aquatic invasive species (AIS) at the South Bay Boat Launch in Whitehall, New York. Leemans immediately reported her finding complete with photos to LCC who followed-up with state agencies that conducted further analysis and confirmed that the mollusk was the golden clam (Corbicula fluminea).
The aggressive AIS has been documented in the region since 2008, but the October 2024 sighting is the first known confirmation in Lake Champlain.
Golden clam was confirmed in the region in 2008 in Hudson Falls, New York, near lock C9 of the Champlain Canal. It has since become established in Lake George in 2010 and Lake Bomoseen, Vermont, in 2016. All three waterways drain into the southern portion of Lake Champlain.
Native to the eastern Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, and Australia golden clam is hermaphroditic, meaning a single individual can reproduce and start a new population.
The species is known to reproduce quickly in other waterbodies in northeastern North America. It is common in the aquarium trade and can be intentionally or unintentionally released in the wild by aquarists.
The Lake Champlain Rapid Response Task Force — a collaborative of New York, Vermont, Quebec and federal agencies — met to review next steps to respond to the discovery. The Lake Champlain Basin Program and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation are assessing the significance of this introduction and conducting further surveys to determine the extent and additional actions necessary.
If they find established populations of golden clam that would bring the number of known nonnative and aquatic invasive species in Lake Champlain to 52.
Illustration: Golden clam (Corbicula fluminea) distinguished by concentric ridges (Lake Champlain Committee).e
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