Planting clams on private leased ground is one of the most important parts of 

 the hard-clam industry in Va. The winter trade is the most profitable, when 

 competition from the north is less keen. Pa., N.Y. , Ohio, and Fla. are the 

 best markets. Almost all are sold in the shell. Pollution is a problem only 

 near Norfolk. The State permits transplantation for depuration. Predation is 

 not a serious problem, except when skates invade Chincoteague Bay. At least 

 one planter put up fences to protect his supply. Hard clams are found in 

 nearly all sheltered waters in N.C. Almost all the catch was taken with rakes. 

 Dredging began in 1949. The principal problem was market development, although 

 there was some concern about the developing dredge fishery. The winter season 

 is most profitable, and most clammers are part-timers. Bedding of cheap clams 

 in summer is common, as it is in Va. Most clams are sold in the shell through 

 dealers in Va. and Md. Freezing meats and liquor separately cuts cost of 

 shipping. Pollution and predation are not problems. It is believed that 

 supply greatly exceeds demand. It was concluded that the resource will not be 

 fully utilized until markets are found or a more intensive dredge fishery de- 

 velops. In S.C. it was believed that large unexploited stocks of hard clam 

 existed. The catch is made mostly with rakes on exposed flats at low tide. 

 Dredges in the oyster industry also take a few clams. Directed dredging for 

 clams is prohibited in water less than 12 ft deep. Lack of markets has 

 retarded development of the industry. Only in severe winters is the price 

 high enough to warrant digging and shipping. Some S.C. laws, such as a 

 closed season during the peak of the raw-bar and clam-bake market, and a ban 

 on shipping clams out of state in the shell, also inhibit the industry. Clams 

 are found in most coastal waters of Ga. but there was no commercial fishery at 

 the time of writing. There is almost no local demand, and northern markets are 

 too distant. There is some question as to whether the resource is large 

 enough to support a commercial fishery. In Fla. hard clams are found along 

 both coasts, but greatest numbers are on the west coast from Ten Thousand 

 Islands to Tampa Bay. Total area of these grounds was at least 150 mi 2 , off 

 a shallow shelving shoreline where the water may be less than 12 ft deep 5 mi 

 offshore. Clam digging is a part-time occupation, using rakes, hoes, and grabs. 

 Reliable records of the fishery were not available. A conveyor-belt dredge was 

 introduced about 1913. High costs caused this operation to discontinue in 1947. 

 The regular "Fall River" dredge used in New England has been tried in Fla. but 

 it was never used commercially. Results of early studies of this fishery were 

 conflicting. Some concluded that the resource had been damaged by dredging, 

 others thought the potential was almost unlimited. The history of the fishery 

 shows that abundance varied widely, from great abundance to economic scarcity. 

 Most people in industry believed that the causes were natural, not overfishing. 

 The fishery in the Ten Thousand Islands area had ceased, and it was doubtful 

 whether it would resume. Lower Tampa Bay produced a supply for local use and 

 a few large clams were taken near Clearwater. Local demand for clams is small 

 and seasonal, and outside markets were difficult to find. Further problems 

 were sand in the meats and poor keeping quality. At the time of writing there 

 was virtually no hard-clam fishery in the State. It was concluded that along 

 the Atlantic coast as a whole hard-clam stocks were in good condition. Stocks 

 in most places were adequate and dealers are more concerned about demand than 

 supply. The only major exception was the unexplained disappearance of the very 

 large bed on the west coast of Fla. Stocks in R.I. may not be able to with- 

 stand further increases in effort. Water pollution was a serious problem only 

 in Mass., R.I.,and N.Y. To some degree this had been alleviated by trans- 

 planting to clean areas. Clam production in these states could be increased by 

 improved waste treatment. Marketing was an important problem for all states 

 from Md. south. Severe winter weather restricts northern diggers, but southern 

 clammers usually find winter digging profitable. Markets for southern clams are 

 also affected by lower meat yields. Hard clams from Me. to N.Y. average about 

 11.5 lbs meats/bu, N.J. to Del. about 9, and Md. to Fla. only about 7.5 lbs/bu. 

 - J.L.M. 



503 



