Shellfishing

Hard clams, also known as quahogs, are a popular Long Island seafood. Photo by T. Hattenrath

New York State has a wide variety of shellfish available for harvest: hard clams or quahogs, blue mussels, razor clams, soft clams, oysters and bay scallops. Most of these bivalves can be caught by recreational shellfish harvesters. Most are also caught by commercial harvesters and are available at your local markets. If you want to go find your own shellfish to eat, be sure to check out a few things before heading out to your favorite clamming spot. First, learn if the area where you want to go clamming is open to shellfish harvesting. A list of shellfish closures is available online. Secondly, you should check to learn what the harvesting limits are for the shellfish species you wish to take. And lastly, enjoy...stuffed baked clams, Manhattan style clam chowder, mussels marinara, oysters Rockefeller, deep fried scallops....

More about Shellfishing:

Conditional Shellfish Harvesting Programs - Lists all current conditional programs by town and waterbody.
Shellfish Harvest Areas - Shellfish Harvest Areas
Special Shellfish Closures - Special holiday closures in popular anchorage areas
Shellfish Safety - Frequently asked questions regarding shellfish safety and contamination, and the procedures to protect shellfish consumers
Shellfish Harvest Limits - Shellfish harvest limits for designated shellfishing areas in New York State
Shellfish Area Updates - Information regarding shellfish area closures