Well, they have almost certainly been there for a while, but today is the first time I have noticed the extraordinary proliferation of Asian clams in the River Thames as we walked along the Barnes foreshore.
Elaine and I had walked around the Leg ‘O Mutton reservoir, only to find ourselves, as is our habit, going counter-clockwise – when everyone else had read the signs and were going clockwise, to ensure social distancing. So I guided Elaine down some seriously slimy steps onto the foreshore – which is where I spotted the clams, both alive and dead.
Initially, I took them for good news, thinking any proliferation of life must be good. Then I looked them up. Something of an ecological and industrial nightmare. Gaia suggested clam chowder later in the day, but eating filter feeders direct from the Thames hardly seems like an entirely sensible idea …
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