Christmas Shellfish on the Island

[the force]

Hey guys, I’m heading to the island (Nanaimo) for Christmas with the in-laws and trying to ward off depression since I can’t bring my boat! Luck would have it that it’s one of those months ending with R, so planning to take the kiddos out for some shellfish harvesting.

I’ve checked out the DFO safe shellfish harvesting map and regs/biotoxin alerts on FishingBC app. Plan is to check out some of the green/open areas on the DFO map, perhaps the reserve.

I haven’t harvested and eaten clams aside from Razors down in Oregon, though eager to try. Likely target Littleneck’s and Manila’s though would try a few of the different species if I can find them. We really enjoy mussels, am I likely to find many in this area?

Anything I should be specifically aware of or tips? Will bring basic collection tools and hopefully get enough to do a freshwater/oatmeal soak and have a meal.

 

[sly_karma]

Littlenecks are easy to find, once you're on the right beach. Don't waste time on sandy beaches, you're looking for a mix of gravel, cobble and broken shells. With the right surface conditions, even a tiny cove beach just a handful of metres wide can hold amazing quantities of clams. Next, pick a spot on the contour roughly halfway between highest and lowest tides.

Push aside the surface pebbles and shells, the clams will be immediately below. If you're digging down more than 6" and not finding clams in profusion, move slightly higher or lower on the beach Elevation is key, once you find that right level there should be clams all along the same contour.

The nicest eating clams are about the size of a toonie or a bit larger. If you dig deeper you'll get into the larger Butter Clams, but I find them tough and stay away. Leave anything smaller than a quarter and re-bury them, they'll be there for you to collect and eat next year.

 

[Ophiodon99]

Unfortunately you won't find any daytime tides much below 10' over Christmas.

 

[Bugs]

Unfortunately you won't find any daytime tides much below 10' over Christmas.

4.5 feet and falling at 7 pm on Boxing day. Depending on the age of the kids could have some fun with head lamps on the beach. https://www.tides.gc.ca/en/stations. I would say below 6 feet you are starting to get into clam territory. Oysters can be had even higher.

 

[sly_karma]

4.5 feet and falling at 7 pm on Boxing day. Depending on the age of the kids could have some fun with head lamps on the beach. https://www.tides.gc.ca/en/stations. I would say below 6 feet you are starting to get into clam territory. Oysters can be had even higher.

In the places I go, clams can be found on a 7-8 ft tide. Winter is a problem though.

 

[CRGreg]

Use a rake rather than a shovel. The commercial diggers use a short handled long tined garden tilling rake. What my father called a Potato Rake. As has been stated already, if you arent finding clams just under the surface, move down the beach. Think gravel not sand.

CR Greg

 

[the force]

Unfortunately you won't find any daytime tides much below 10' over Christmas.

Yeah I was looking at that after posting, I’ll need to change my plan from talking my boy to taking the wife for that midnight clam(ing) lol … headlamps and fireball? It’s all about the experience!

 

[the force]

Use a rake rather than a shovel. The commercial diggers use a short handled long tined garden tilling rake. What my father called a Potato Rake. As has been stated already, if you arent finding clams just under the surface, move down the beach. Think gravel not sand.

CR Greg

Thanks, yeah I spent a lazy Sunday morning looking up you tube vids, the right rake looks to make a world of difference.

Thanks for the detail @sly_karma, I also found some old notes you sent me from the summer.

Will follow the receding tide out… So I am not necessarily going to find more clams the farther out with a 1.5’ tide? I was kind of thinking that fewer ppl would harvest at the low low tide mark so potentially more clams, however it seems there is a bit of a sweet spot between a balance of flooded and dry from what I’m hearing?

 

[searun]

FYI from DFO website on new minimum size limits just in case you haven't seen them....

Clams​

Clams are bivalve shellfish. Eating bivalve shellfish harvested from a closed area is unsafe. Check the area that you are planning to harvest in to make sure that it is open every time you go out.

The total combined daily limit of all species of clams harvested is:

• 24 in the Pacific Rim National Park
• 60 in all other parts of Areas 11 to 27
• 0 in Areas 1 to 10

The minimum harvest size is:

• 35 mm for manila or littleneck clams
• 55 mm for butter clams

 

[sly_karma]

Thanks, yeah I spent a lazy Sunday morning looking up you tube vids, the right rake looks to make a world of difference.

Thanks for the detail @sly_karma, I also found some old notes you sent me from the summer.

Will follow the receding tide out… So I am not necessarily going to find more clams the farther out with a 1.5’ tide? I was kind of thinking that fewer ppl would harvest at the low low tide mark so potentially more clams, however it seems there is a bit of a sweet spot between a balance of flooded and dry from what I’m hearing?

All I use is a one hand garden fork. Scratch off the surface gravel amd shells with one hand, puck out the clams with the other. Bring a few small containers so people can spread out and look for that right spot. And one larger one for all the catch to go in. Someone should be prepared to go in the water shin deep to rinse off the clams.

Clam need to be above water level some of each day, there'll be none at all down near the low tide contour. Other marine species have that niche tied up. The way to find a less picked over area is to look in rocky reefs and find the tiny coves only 5-10 m wide. They're more likely to be overlooked by the larger groups. And places that are farther from roads or have difficult access for other reasons, like boat-only access.

https://www.rona.ca/en/product/fiskars-cultivator-200s-series-steel-black-orange-373640-5001-65715180?viewStore=61740&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=19754730191&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=pla&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&&cm_mmc=paid_search-_-google-_-aw_pmax_generic_Outdoor-_-&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm4WsBhCiARIsAEJIEzX5ETAqThHDNIO_yyWdWw_59oOKjbH0fdbzoS7nC-sZH4O5rqpt4s4aAh-zEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds