Clams

Choose a Species... Abalone (farmed) Arctic Char Black Sea Bass Bluefish Catfish (farmed US) Caviars (farmed) Clams Cod, Pacific Crab, Blue Crab, Dungeness Crab, Jonah & Rock Crab, King (Alaska) Crab, Snow Crab, Stone Crawfish (farmed US) Croaker Haddock (hook-and-line) Halibut, Pacific Herring, Atlantic Lingcod Lobster, American Lobster, Spiny (Rock) Mackerel Mahimahi (Dolphinfish) Mussels (farmed) Oysters (farmed) Pollock, Alaska Sablefish (wild AK & BC) Salmon (wild Pacific) Salmon, Chinook (wild AK & BC) Salmon, Chum (wild Pacific) Salmon, Coho (wild Alaska) Salmon, Pink (wild Alaska) Salmon, Sockeye (wild Pacific) Sanddab Sardines, Pacific Scallops, Bay & Sea Shrimp (farmed US) Shrimp, Northern Shrimp, Oregon Pink Shrimp, Spot (Trap Caught) Sole, Pacific Squid Striped Bass (wild & hybrid) Sturgeon, White (farmed) Tilapia (farmed) Trout, Rainbow (farmed) Tuna, Albacore Tuna, Yellowfin Wahoo Weakfish White Sea Bass Wreckfish ©B. Guild/ Charting Nature, www.chartingnature.com Click here to find suppliers for this and other smart choices THE MURDEROUS MOLLUSK Eating raw clams and other mollusks is fairly common and tends to be considered a somewhat romantic experience. A very unromantic side to clams is their nature to carry a dangerous bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus. The bacterium is destroyed with cooking, but when ingested from raw clams can cause serious damage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 75 deaths attributed to raw clam consumption between 1989 and 1996. HEALTH ADVISORY Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is caused by eating bivalve shellfish contaminated with algae containing harmful toxins. The toxin that causes PSP cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing. Ask your supplier about routine testing of products. A NOTE ABOUT RED TIDE Red tide is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is the result of a “bloom” of tiny algae; some species of algae that generate such blooms produce harmful toxins. Red tide may create a brownish-red sheen on the surface of the water, but can also be invisible. Shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels that feed by filtering water can become contaminated with red tide toxins. Although the toxins do not kill the shellfish, contaminated shellfish are unsafe for human consumption and can cause a variety of health problems, including paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Local and state government agencies are responsible for routine testing of shellfish beds and promptly close contaminated areas until the shellfish are safe for human consumption.

There are dozens of species of clams throughout the world, including several that are commonly found in the U.S. market.

Surf clam (Spisula solidissima) and ocean quahog (Arctica islandica): These two large offshore clams support the largest clam fishery in the U.S, with over 45,000 MT (100 million pounds) of meat processed into a variety of value-added products each year. Managed by individual transferable quotas (ITQs), landings of these clams have been stable in recent years at very high levels. The clams are collected by big vessels that tow large hydraulic dredges. Small ocean quahogs, collected inshore, are marketed as mahogany clams or golden necks.

Hard-shell clam (Mercenaria mercenaria): Depending on size, hard-shell clams may be sold as Little Necks, cherrystones, topnecks, quahogs, or chowders. Little Necks – the most tender and most expensive clam– are most often eaten steamed or raw on the half shell. Cherrystone clams can be eaten raw, but are usually steamed. Topneck and chowder clams are normally ground up and served in value-added products.

On the U.S. East Coast, hard clams are farmed and collected at the Little Neck-size grade or smaller. In the wild, fishermen collect hard clams using hand dredges, tongs, or rakes. U.S. production of hard-shell clam meat is about 4,500 MT (10 million pounds) a year.

Manila clam (Venerupis philippinarum): Manila clams were introduced initially by accident to the west coast of the U.S. from Japan in the 1930s. Most Manila clams in the market come from cultured beds in Washington State. In British Columbia, Manilas are cultured and collected from wild beds. Almost always sold live, Manilas are considered to be very tender and sweet (although they are rarely eaten raw). They are gathered by hand rake, and production in the U.S. is about one million pounds of meat per year.

Soft-shell clam (Mya arenia): A very popular (and expensive) clam that is dug by hand in New England and the Chesapeake Bay. The soft-shell—also referred to as a steamer or belly clam—is most often served either steamed in the shell or as fried meat. Attempts to farm soft-shells have not been successful. Catches of wild soft-shells are relatively stable at about two to three million pounds of meat per year.

Pacific Geoduck (Panopea abrupta): A Pacific species, the geoduck (pronounced “gooey-duck”) siphon can grow up to four feet. Divers collect geoducks with few to no environmental impacts.

CONSERVATION NOTES

All clams feed by filtering water and nutrients from their surrounding environment, and require clean, unpolluted water. At the same time the clams’ filtering can actually improve the quality of the water in which they grow.

IN SEASON

Year-round availability, with greatest supply during warm weather

PRODUCT FORM

FRESH:

• Live (farmed clams are almost always sold live)
• Shucked meat

FROZEN:

• On the half shell
• Shucked meat

BUYING TIPS

• You can buy clams by the piece, pound, or bushel (volume weight), though be aware that the definition of a bushel can vary among suppliers.
• You can find the best shelf life and meat yield in the winter, which is often when prices are lowest due to reduced demand from coastal resorts.
• Shelf life declines considerably in the summer after the clam spawns.

ASSOCIATIONS

BC Shellfish Growers Association
350 (B) Robson Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 2V5 Canada, Phone: 250–714–0804, Web Site: www.bcsga.ca, Executive Director: Pamela Parker • Represents scallop, clam, and oyster growers in British Columbia.

East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
1623 Whitesville Road, Toms River, NJ 08755, Phone: 732–349–1152, Web Site: www.ecsga.org • Organization representing shellfish growers in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association
120 State Ave. NE, PMB #142, Olympia, WA 98501, Phone: 360–754–2744, Web Site: www.pcsga.org, Executive Director: Robin Downey • The largest shellfish association in North America, PCSGA represents local, state, and federal interests of oyster, clam, mussel, scallop and geoduck growers from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Mexico, and Hawaii and is involved in environmental protection, shellfish safety and health issues, technological advances, and international marketing and research, among other concerns.