Maine Seafood Guide – Soft-shell Clams
Soft-shell Clams
Species Description
Soft-shell clams Mya arenaria
also known as steamers
Wild, with some hatchery supplementation (seeding of flats with juveniles).
Soft-shell clams burrow 8-14 inches into mud, sand, and gravel in intertidal areas. It takes three to four years for a clam to grow to market size (two inches). As suggested by their name, soft-shell clams have thin, relatively fragile shells.
Season
Year-round, peak May through October. However, harvesting is subject to area-specific closures due to biotoxins, pollution, or conservation. Harvesters should check the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ Shellfish Closures page or the Interactive Closure Map before clamming. For more information, please visit the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Shellfish and Snail Identification and Recreational Limits webpage.
Status
Since the 1980’s, soft-shell clam landings have steadily declined, largely due to the proliferation of the invasive green crab and other predators. View the 2024 state of Maine soft shell calm landings.
The fishery remains incredibly lucrative with a high even as the value of soft-shell clams has generally increased. Today the harvest averages around 6 million pounds per year and the value of soft-shell clams is generally increasing. In 2024, the soft-shell clam fishery was Maine’s second most lucrative, with a value of $15.46 million.
Regulatory Authority
The Maine Department of Marine Resources’ Nearshore Marine Resources Program co-manages clam flats with towns that have a shellfish management ordinance. Area biologists help towns with their conservation areas, reseeding, surveying, town license allocations, shellfish ordinances, warden programs, and more.
Harvest Method
Digging by hand with rakes and hoes. See the vessel and gear guide for more information.
Recreational Harvest
Size limit: two inches minimum size measured along the longest axis, but may vary by area.
Harvest limit: one peck per person daily. (A peck is about 8 dry liters, or half of a 5-gallon bucket.)
Towns may have more conservative size and harvest limits. Check town shellfish conservation ordinances for restrictions in the area you plan to harvest.
For more information, visit the Maine DMR website.
If collecting for personal use, check with your town office or the Department of Marine Resources to make sure the area is open to harvesting, 1-800-232-4733 or 207-624-7727. Shellfish areas along the coast are annually re-evaluated by DMR staff to identify and assess the impacts of pollution.
Commercial harvesters can only take clams with shells longer than two inches. Some clam flats are maintained or enhanced with hatchery-raised “seed” or baby clams. Water quality is important to sustaining a healthy clam resource, so managers, harvesters, and municipal shellfish committees work to keep coastal waters clean and shellfish beds open.
Health Benefits & Risks
All clams are low in fat and calories and are an excellent source of selenium, iron, and vitamin B12. Clams are a good source of zinc and contain omega-3 fatty acids. Clams are low in mercury.
Clams are filter-feeders and thus are vulnerable to bacterial pollution, chemical contamination, and harmful algal blooms (red tide), especially spring through fall. Clams in the market and on the menu are safe, when purchased from a certified shellfish dealer. If harvesting recreationally or for personal consumption, check the DMR’s list of closed areas before digging, or call the Biotoxin and Shellfish Sanitation Hotline at 1-800-232-4733 or 207-624-7727.
Buying & Preparing
Soft-shell clams, also known as “steamers,” are a beloved staple in Maine clam bakes and a key ingredient in classic New England clam chowder. Their tender meat and mildly sweet, briny flavor make them a seasonal favorite.
Look for live clams with tightly closed shells. If any are cracked, broken, or remain open when tapped, they should be discarded. Clams are typically sold by the pound at seafood markets and roadside stands, especially during the warmer months.
Rinse clams thoroughly to remove surface sand. To purge grit from their stomachs, soak them in salted cold water for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Some people add cornmeal or a splash of vinegar to encourage clams to release sediment.
Steam clams over boiling water or beer until their shells open, about 5–10 minutes. Discard any that do not open after cooking. Serve with melted butter, and don’t forget a bowl of broth from the steamer pot for dipping and rinsing.
Certifications & Verifications
Links
- Manomet’s Heal Eddy Clam Farm Project
- Downeast Institute Green Crab Research
- Town of Gouldsboro Shellfish Resilience Lab
- Gouldsboro Shellfish Resilience Project
- A brief history of soft-shell clam management in Maine
- Maine Shellfish Guide
Soft-shell clams burrow 8-14 inches into mud, sand, and gravel intertidal areas from Labrador to North Carolina. It takes three to four years for a clam to grow to market size (two inches).
►Season
Year-round, peak May through October. For more information, please visit the Maine DMR Shellfish and Snail Identification and Recreational Limits webpage.
►Status
Soft-shell clam landings peaked in 1977 at nearly 40 million pounds; today the harvest averages around 10 million pounds per year, but the value of soft-shell clams has increased over time, and this fishery is currently Maine’s third largest in terms of value.
Commercial harvesters can only take clams with shells longer than two inches. Some clam flats are maintained or enhanced with hatchery-raised “seed” or baby clams. Water quality is important to sustaining a healthy clam resource, so managers and harvesters work to keep coastal waters clean and shellfish beds open.
►Regulatory Authority
Maine Department of Marine Resources and individual towns work together to manage clam flats. Area biologists help towns with their conservation areas, reseeding, surveying, town license allocations, shellfish ordinances, warden programs, and more.
►Harvest Method
Digging by hand with rakes and hoes.
►Recreational Harvest
Size limit: two inches minimum size measured along the longest axis, but may vary by area.
Harvest limit: one peck per person daily
Towns may have more conservative size and harvest limits. Check town shellfish conservation ordinances for restrictions in the area you plan to harvest.
For more information, visit the Maine Department of Marine Resources website.
If collecting for personal use, check with your town office or the Department of Marine Resources to make sure the area is open to harvesting, 1-800-232-4733 or 207-624-7727. Shellfish areas along the coast are annually re-evaluated by DMR staff to identify and assess the impacts of pollution.
►Health Benefits & Risks
All clams are low in fat and calories and are an excellent source of selenium, iron, and vitamin B12. Clams are a good source of zinc and contain omega-3 fatty acids. Clams are low in mercury.
Clams are filter-feeders and thus are vulnerable to bacterial pollution, chemical contamination, and harmful algal blooms (red tide), especially spring through fall. Clams in the market and on the menu are safe, when purchased from a certified shellfish dealer. If harvesting recreationally or for personal consumption, check the DMR’s list of closed areas before digging, or call the Biotoxin and Shellfish Sanitation Hotline at 1-800-232-4733 or 207-624-7727.
►Buying & Preparing
As suggested by their name, soft-shell clams have thin, relatively fragile shells. Broken or open clams should be discarded; after cooking, discard those clams that do not open.
To remove mud and grit from soft-shell clams, rinse thoroughly and, optionally, cover them with salted water and soak for 20 minutes to two hours to allow them to “purge” their stomachs of sediment. Some people put cornmeal or vinegar in with the soak. Steam over boiling water or beer.