Mercenaria mercenaria

Conservation

Hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) are a commonly harvested commercial and recreational species in New Jersey’s estuaries. A robust commercial fishery operates in the depuration zones of Sandy Hook and Raritan Bays, where clams are harvested and moved through local depuration plants for removal of biological contaminants in preparation for human consumption. Special permits from the Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring are required. Commercial harvest also occurs throughout the other estuaries of the state, along with an increasingly popular recreational harvest fishery. All harvesters require either a recreational shellfish license or commercial shellfish license.

The Marine Resources Administration is currently developing a fishery management plan for hard clams. Licensing, size, possession limits, depuration plant capacities, and shellfish harvest water classifications all serve as de facto management strategies in the meantime.

The Marine Resources Administration attempts to conduct a stock assessment of hard clams in the Atlantic coastal estuaries on a rotating basis. In some estuaries, like the Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays, the stock has sharply increased since the 1980s, to over 1 billion clams estimated in 2014 on the NJ side of the estuary alone. Other estuaries, like Barnegat Bay, saw a 25% decline in the population between the 1980s and 2012. There is no singular reason for the improvement or decline in populations and it is important to understand that each estuary has unique characteristics that may affect the population. As more assessments are conducted, staff will be better able to understand trends and relationships within each estuary. More information on that work can be found here.

In recognition that Barnegat Bay is a popular estuary for recreational harvest, and that hard clam populations have declined, the Marine Resources Administration conducts shellfish enhancement activities.


More information about this species can be found below:


Description

• rounded shell with equal size values that are hinged at one end
• gray to white in color
• concentric growth rings on outside of shell
• inside of shell is white with violet markings

Size

• up to 5 inches

Range

• Canada down to Florida
• most abundant between Cape Cod and New Jersey

Facts

• common names include the Northern quahog or chowder clam
• common names in restaurants and seafood markets include littlenecks, cherrystones (as middlenecks or topnecks) and chowders.  These names reflect different sizes of the same species and can indicate common preferences for consumption.  For example, littlenecks are often consumed steamed with drawn butter or in a white wine and garlic sauce, while middlenecks do well in raw bars, and chowder clams are a critical component of the famous soup and as stuffed clams. Depending upon the part of NJ you are in, “steamers” could refer to steamed littleneck clams or steamed soft clams, also called “piss clams” or “Ipswich clams” by New Englanders.  Soft clams are a different species, Mya arenaria.
• live 10-20 years on average
• prefer salt water and can not survive if the salt content is too low