ROWLEY — When 20 of the best and brightest graduate students from around the world wanted to learn about aquaculture, they came to the small town of Rowley for some hands-on learning.
Led by Rowley Shellfish Constable Jack Grundstrom, the group of Fulbright scholars, divided among five boats, set out down river to learn about harvesting clams.
For many of them, it was their first time on the Atlantic Ocean.
The students, who hailed from such countries as Indonesia, Vietnam, Madagascar, Israel and Egypt, were participating in the program From Lab to Market, the annual Fulbright Enrichment Seminar hosted by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The four-day event aims to introduce participants to scientific innovators and experts in a range of fields, from applied sciences to startup companies to research and development laboratories. Thursday, the students stepped into nature's laboratory beneath the sand on the Great Marsh, where the tools of the trade are a pitchfork, a bucket and a set of strong hands.
While the students stood with their feet and hands wet and muddy in the waters of the Atlantic, Dr. Joe Buttner, a professor at Salem State College, provided a complete biology lesson on the components of a clam before they headed back to dry land.
"These are the scientists of the next generation," Buttner said. "We are introducing them to New England coastal heritage by letting them be a part of it. This is not an experience they could get by reading any book."
The Fulbright Program, which was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright, is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Each year, only 1,500 students are selected for a fellowship.
For the students, the visit to the Rowley clam flats was just one of the stops on their journey to further knowledge.
They began their day at Cat Cove Marine Laboratory in Salem, a state division of Marine Fisheries, under the direction of Buttner, coordinator of the laboratory.
There they learned about the three-pronged approach for clam growing. First is the hatchery phase, where spawning takes place and the clams morph into a bottom-living organism. The clams are then moved outside for a nursery phase, where they will grow up to 15 millimeters long.
Finally, the clams are transferred to one of the dozen or more community clam flats in Massachusetts or Connecticut for the "grow out phase," where the clams are strategically placed in the clam flats and left to grow to maturity, then harvested for sale in the marketplace.
The Salem Marine Laboratory has grown more than 20 million clams over the last decade, a large portion of which have reached maturity in the Rowley clam flats.
Once the Fulbright students made the trip down the Rowley River to the 11-acre clam flat, they were introduced by John Grundstrom, a fifth generation clam digger from Rowley, who showed them clam digging methods.
"It looks easy, but this is hard work," said Federico Casassa from Argentina, who tried his hand at digging up some clams.
For Casassa, who is majoring in agriculture at Washington State University and has been in the U.S. for a little less than a year, the tour of the clam flats was just one more example of positive interaction with people in the U.S., the experience that has made the strongest impression on him while visiting this country.
"I was not sure what to expect when I came here after having just visited France, but I was pleasantly surprised how positive, straightforward and comfortable interaction with people in the U.S. has been, particularly during outings such as this one where we are experiencing new things," he said.
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