Clams are “bivalve mollusks.” The mollusk part means, in general, that they have shells; the bivalve part means that they are double-shelled. They are found on both coasts of North America and on the coasts of Europe.Clams are “filter feeders”: they pump water through their opened shells. This not only brings in oxygen for them…
Cockles are small shellfish with one-inch (2 1/2 cm) wide, ruffled shells. They are gathered at low tide through back-breaking work. You put on hip waders and stand in the water along the shore. You don’t dig them out of the mud; you use a rake to scrape them out of the sand and mud,…
Mussels are bivalve members of the mollusk family that live in both the Pacific and the Atlantic. Mussels begin spawning young when they are about 2 years old. During the summer months, a Mussel will produce about a million young Mussels, or “spats”, about the size of a pin head. These drift around on the…
Oysters © Denzil Green Oysters are bivalves, which means they have two shells, like clams and mussels. They are found in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. Oysters are generally male in their first year of life, switching to female in their second year. After that, they may go back and forth between being male…
Scallops are the shell-fish whose shells look like the logo for Shell oil. They need anywhere from 18 months to 2 years to grow to market size. They can live up to 20 years old, but those are too tough to eat. Scallops don’t burrow into the sand, like many other shellfish do. Instead, they…
