THE VIRGINIA HARD SHELL CLAM (MERCENARIA MERCENARIA) FARMING INDUSTRY IS THE LARGEST IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE FOUNDATION OF A MAJOR REGIONAL U.S. AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY. IN RECENT YEARS, HARD CLAM FARMERS ALONG THE EAST COAST, INCLUDING SEVERAL VIRGINIA COMPANIES, HAVE REPORTED PRODUCTION ISSUES AND UNUSUALLY HIGH DEATH RATES. TO UNDERSTAND WHY, INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND SCIENTISTS WILL RUN A LARGE-SCALE EXPERIMENT ON OPERATING CLAM FARMS TO STUDY HOW FARMING PRACTICES, GROWING LOCATION, GENETICS, AND DISEASE MAY AFFECT HARD CLAM SURVIVAL AND GROWTH. HARD CLAM FARMERS AND INDUSTRY AFFILIATES ALONG THE EAST COAST WILL MEET TO SHARE OBSERVATIONS AND DISCUSS POSSIBLE REASONS BEHIND THE RECENT HARD CLAM MORTALITY. THIS PROJECT IS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP IN TACKLING A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR THE U.S. HARD CLAM INDUSTRY. PROJECT FINDINGS AND DATA WILL HELP GUIDE FUTURE FARM MANAGEMENT, ENSURING THE VIRGINIA AND UNITED STATES INDUSTRY REMAINSTRONG AND SUCCESSFUL.