Shellfishing Coastal Connecticut

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Once again this year, the Shellfish Commission transplanted more than 30 bushels of hard round clams to the West Wharf area. The commission pays for the clams out of funds generated by commercial and recreational licenses.

The area, which has been closed to harvesting, will open Friday (Nov. 25), the day after Thanksgiving, and the Shellfish Commission, which has been working continually for the past several years to reintroduce shellfishing to Madison, wants to invite Madison residents to take part in an annual tradition that it believes should be rejuvenated.

The commission will host "family shellfishing days" Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Nov. 25, Nov. 26, and Nov. 27). "Clamming is just about one of the easiest things you can do, and we are encouraging families to participate together," Commission Chairman Steve Nikituk said. Comission members will be on-hand to sell licenses, demonstrate clam harvesting techniques, and give tips for preparing these mollusks for the dinner table. For residents without prior experience in clamming, the commission will provide rakes and holding baskets. They will also be able to answer questions about other places to harvest clams and shellfish in Madison waters, describe the commission's initiatives, and answer questions.

Nikituk said the clam beds off Waterbury Avenue at Seaview Beach are also ready for harvest. These clams are steamers. He estimates there may be as much as "hundreds of bushels." These steamer beds have been closed for at least six years, but they now are being overseen by the Shellfish Commission. These beds will also open Friday, and will probably remain open through the end of the year.

The Shellfish Commission wants residents to be prepared to enjoy this clam harvest. Here's some information to know:

• A license is required. Commission members will sell licenses at West Wharf Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A license for a Madison resident costs $15 for the year. Children under age 16 will not need a license.
• There is a limit. Each license holder is limited to a half bushel of clams per day.
• License may also be purchased at Captain Morgan's on the Post Road and the town clerk's office at the Town Campus.
• At West Wharf there are hard round clams. Nikituck says these are various sizes from chowder clams (larger) to medium sized (steamers) to smaller (little necks and cherrystones).
• At Waterbury Avenue the clams are steamers. There is a public right of way at the foot of Waterbury Avenue that provides access to the clam beds.
• The key element is to be sure it is low tide. Low tide is at noon on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
• Clammers at West Wharf may need waders in addition to clamrakes and clam baskets. The commission can provide the rakes and baskets in limited numbers. "You may need to get out into the water up to your waist," Nikituk explains.
• Clammers at Waterbury Avenue may need boots. This steamer bed has been so productive that license holders should be able to fill their limit in less than an hour.
• The Shellfish Commission is anxious to encourage clamming at Waterbury Avenue because the harvesting of the larger clams will allow the small clams to continue to grow and the population to regenerate. [org pub Shore Publishin, by Marianne Sullivan]