Can giant clams help bleached corals recover?
Using samples from Micronesia and our University of Barcelona lab, we are testing whether zooxanthellae from giant clams can speed the recovery of bleached corals.
Pioneering novel research in reef restoration and coastal conservation
Through innovative marine science practices, with mariculture tanks in Japan, field sites in Micronesia and Belize, a partner lab in Spain and research leadership in Canada.
What we do
Programs built around open questions. See all current research →
Turning giant clams into carbon sinks
We are testing whether raising seawater pH above 8.5 tips giant clam shell formation from carbon neutral to a true carbon sink.
Giant clams as microplastic filters
We are exploring giant clams as natural filters for microplastics, and growing them out in our tanks to reseed reefs.
The first captive-reared carpet anemones
We have spawned S. haddoni in captivity and are working to rear the larvae to juveniles, which to our knowledge has not been documented.
Rearing flowerpot coral
Goniopora is among the most traded corals and one of the hardest to keep. We rear it in Japan for conservation and potential medical research.
A clownfish genomic study
An ongoing genomic study of our breeding pairs and their offspring. The same pairs anchor school visits and our classroom curriculum.
Reefs and mangroves are not just the bedrock of ocean ecosystems; they are vital for life on land as well.
We work with incredible people from all over the world to advance marine science and address the core areas of interest for the IMARCS Foundation:
Biodiversity Preservation
Coral reefs are bleaching from changing temperatures, all giant clam species are threatened, and mangroves around the world are under threat from development. One of our main areas of research is focused on how to address these challenges and preserve some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet
Pollutant Removal
Giant clams have shown promise in removing microplastics from the water column, which is a major environmental concern worldwide, and our research seeks to understand their potential role in filtering out these pollutants. Mangroves are also well-equipped to stop microplastics from entering the ocean as they trap them in their root systems, and they are also the best nature-based solution for storing carbon. One other major focus of our research aims to show whether giant clams can provide another quantifiable source of permanent carbon sequestration
Ecosystem Restoration
Our long-term goal is to help reverse coral bleaching, conserve and potentially restore mangrove stands, and re-seed lost habitat ranges for giant clams
Community Enhancement
All our work in preserving biodiversity, restoring ecosystems, removing microplastics, and sequestering carbon is grounded in delivering co-benefits for local communities in associated areas
Mission
To advance marine conservation, reef resilience, and coastal restoration through hands-on research focused on giant clams, corals, mangroves, and nature-based solutions to remove microplastics and store excess emissions, with measurable results and lasting benefits for local communities.
Vision
A future where marine restoration is practical, measurable, and scalable, with reef organisms, coastal ecosystems, and education programs working together to restore marine environments, positively impact human health, and potentially help adapt to climate change.
Where we work
Japan
Mariculture tanks
Giant clams, clownfish, carpet anemones and flowerpot coral, and the research built around them.
Micronesia
Kosrae hatchery
Our core field partner, the FSM National Aquaculture Center giant clam hatchery, and the clam farmers we work with.
Spain
University of Barcelona
Our partner lab, where samples are processed and analyzed and our genomic work is supervised.
Belize
Mangroves
Evaluating mangrove conservation for its carbon sequestration potential and biodiversity impacts.
Canada
Research leadership
Where our research leadership is based.
Philippines
Semirara Island, planned
Pilot research mapped out on a giant clam seeding program. Earlier work in the Philippines and Vietnam is on hold while we line up partners.
At a glance
Active research programs
Giant clam carbon sequestration, microplastic filtration, and reef reseeding in Japan, zooxanthellae transfer to bleached corals in Micronesia and Spain, mangrove conservation in Belize, and clownfish and carpet anemone breeding in Japan.
Five countries
Japan, Micronesia, Spain, Belize, and Canada.
Seven giant clam species studied
Six Tridacna species (gigas, noae, squamosa, maxima, crocea, derasa) and Hippopus hippopus.
Four mangrove species and five main coral types
Red, black, white, and buttonwood mangroves; staghorn, elkhorn, brain, lettuce, and fan corals.
60 articles published, plus guest pieces and podcasts
Sixty research and stewardship articles on this site, eight guest articles on outside sites including reefs.com, Eco-Business, and six university blogs, and three podcast appearances.
Two classroom units, free to download
Built for grades 5 to 8. Each unit comes in a standard edition with a verified NGSS crosswalk and a Christian school edition. Seven high schools and junior colleges have requested them.
As published on
Stewardship, not passive preservation
We practice stewardship, not pure preservation: wise use, not passive protection. People are part of the natural world, not separate from it, and ecosystems intended to be protected in isolation are still shaped by everything happening around them. Treating conservation as a closed box is not, and never was, realistic.
When a species is farmed and used sustainably, it gains an economic reason to exist, funding to support its recovery, and reduced pressure on wild populations. Use and protection reinforce each other instead of competing.
The Saving NEMO Act (H.R. 2176) would harm reefs rather than protect them
IMARCS filed an official comment in opposition. Read our analysis.
We focus on nature-based solutions for resilience to warming waters
Rather than the causes and effects we cannot control.
Why this matters
Food security starts with native species
Giant clams have fed and supplied Indo-Pacific island communities for thousands of years. Overharvesting emptied many reefs, and the largest species is now gone from parts of its historic range. When the clams disappear, a community loses protein, income, and a piece of its identity in the same stroke.
Hatchery-raised native stock changes that arithmetic. Clams grown locally can be returned to local reefs, which relieves pressure on wild populations while giving families a harvest they control. Our partnership with the Kosrae hatchery in Micronesia works exactly this way: native species, raised in their own waters, by the people who live there.
Mangroves do the same work at the coastline. Their root systems are nurseries for the fish that coastal families eat, and the same roots hold sediment and carbon in place. Protecting a mangrove stand protects a food supply, not just a habitat.
Adopt an animal
Name a real animal at our facility in Japan and follow it every month. From about 50 cents a day.
Giant clam
The largest clam on Earth, now Critically Endangered.
Adopt →
Clownfish pair
The world's most popular aquarium fish, and a living lesson in genetics.
Adopt →
Carpet anemone
Every one in the aquarium trade was taken from the wild.
Adopt →
Flowerpot coral
One of the most traded corals on Earth, and one of the hardest to keep alive.
Adopt →Free marine science curriculum
We publish free marine science curriculum for classrooms and families, in standard and Christian editions.
Partner with IMARCS
Companies, foundations and individual donors fund our research directly. Give once or monthly, direct your gift to a program, or talk with us about a partnership. US 501(c)(3), EIN 39-2591649.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IMARCS Foundation?
IMARCS is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit conducting research on reef restoration and actively supporting coastal conservation, with inshore mariculture tanks in Japan, field sites in Belize and Micronesia, a university partnership lab in Spain, and research leadership in Canada.
What does IMARCS stand for?
International Marine Science and Carbon Sequestration.
Which countries is IMARCS currently active in?
Japan, Micronesia, Spain, Belize, and Canada. Previous work on giant clams in the reefs of Vietnam and the Philippines is currently on hold while we line up partner organizations.
Can giant clams store carbon?
Under natural conditions, giant clam shell formation is roughly carbon-neutral: the CO2 released during calcification offsets the carbon taken up. IMARCS is testing whether raising seawater pH above 8.5 allows more of that carbon to be locked into the shell, which would make giant clams a true carbon sink. That work is underway and not yet published.
Are giant clams dangerous to humans?
No. The idea of the man-eating clam is a myth. A giant clam's adductor muscles close its shell slowly, and an approached clam retreats into its shell rather than attempting to trap anything.
What happens to the microplastics that clams filter and mangroves trap?
Giant clams remove microplastic particles from the water column, and mangrove root systems trap them before they reach open water. IMARCS scientists are studying how much is captured, where it ends up, and whether it stays there.
How can I support IMARCS?
Donations fund equipment in our tanks, samples in our lab, and time in the field. Individuals can adopt a clam, and organizations can partner with us directly. Support Us.
Are donations to IMARCS tax deductible?
IMARCS is a registered US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so donations from US supporters are tax deductible.
