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Information on concentrations of shellfish and locations of viable shellfish habitat are gathered by the program. Bottom type is delineated systematically using hydraulic tongs and sounding poles. The bottom can either be soft, firm or hard; vegetated or non-vegetated; and with or without shell. Shellfish densities are sampled in each bottom type using tongs, rakes and meter squares, and entered into DMF’s biological database. Habitat coverage is included in the state’s Geographical Information System. The two databases are integrated to produce resource maps of shellfish producing areas and potentially productive bottom. Here's the results. A finished habitat map. (You can click on any of these photos to see a larger version)