How to Harvest Shellfish

Be sure of which species of clam you are looking for and where to find them: for example, gaper clams are found in saltwater bays, whereas most softshell clams are freshwater dwellers. Dig for clams with a razor clam shovel, marking out the area where you will be working in the sand with the blade. Create a hole only large enough to dig out the clam; make another hole nearby to prevent breaking any clamshells or accidentally damaging the clams' necks. Dig gently and include any broken clams in your overall count. Take clams of the species you want and rebury any species you don't want, with the exception of gaper or softshell clams, which should not be returned. Dig only your own clams, as digging for someone else can be illegal.

Avail yourself of the right equipment to harvest crabs. For recreational crabbers, you may only be allowed to use bait at the end of a line, whereas commercial crabbers have many more options. Use your preferred choice of bait, whether eels, menhadens or poultry necks. Use a trotline in certain areas where it is the only allowed method of catching crabs; this involves using a long line that is weighted down at points with bait and pulled up to harvest any crabs. For recreational purposes, use traps and scap nets, the latter which allow you to harvest both hardshell and softshell crabs via a long-handled dip net, without bait and at night.

Find out whether the season is open to harvest oysters in your state. Note size and bag limits, as well as equipment restrictions. Make sure the oyster is at least 2 1/2 inches across in Washington State, and do not harvest more than 18 per day. Check with your local health department for beach closures from pollution or marine biotoxins. Call the hot line number they provide prior to harvesting for any recent notices. Observe any shucking requirements in your state. Shuck the oysters you have harvested on the beach and leave the shells on the public tideland, as may be required by your state. Do this as a matter of conservation and to retain any tiny oysters that may remain in the shells; as well as to prevent the spread of oyster predators.

Find scallops in borderline areas where the sandy bottom meets grass. Look for neon-blue eyes and place any scallops you catch in a mesh bag, rather than in your pocket. Place freshly caught scallops on ice in the boat. Clean the scallops on the boat, if desired, using an oyster knife to pry the shells open, the muscle to which should be relaxed from sitting on the ice. Cut out the adductor muscle and remove the other part of the animal, unless you plan to eat it, in which case, it should be cooked.