Around 1,300 bushels of quahogs were transferred to Wareham waters Monday afternoon in the annual shellfish relay.

Every year, around 1,000 bushels or roughly 300,000 quahogs are fished out of Taunton River and brought to Onset and Wareham to increase the supply. Though typically the quahogs are for recreational use only, this year quahogs for commercial harvesting were added as well.

The quahogs begin their relay in the Taunton River, then are transported to Swansea to be tagged and inspected. Finally, they are placed aboard a Wareham barge and transferred to their new home. The Wareham Department of Natural Resources targeted Broad Cove, Agawam Beach Management Area and Wareham River.

This year, 500 bushels are intended for commercial use and 800 for recreational use, paid for by the settlement for the Bouchard oil spill. This spill dumped 98,000 gallons of oil along the Buzzards Bay coastline in 2003. The $6 million settlement restores wildlife and habitat.

Harbormaster Garry Buckminster said the money from the settlement will help supply quahogs for the another one or two years.