Species profile
Soft-shelled Clam
Mya arenaria
At a glance
Soft-shelled Clam (Mya arenaria) is a bivalve mollusk regulated in 15 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 0.5 (New York); the most generous is 300 (Federal Waters (DFO)).
Across 7 jurisdictions with stated minimum sizes, the average minimum is 1.6 in.
Confirmed by 4,911 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Nova Scotia, New York, and Massachusetts the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Soft-shelled Clams can burrow up to 12 inches deep into mud or sand.
- Their long siphons allow them to feed and breathe from deep within the sediment.
- Some individuals live over 10 years, making them among the longer-lived shallow bivalves.
- They are native to North America but have become invasive in European and Asian waters.
- Despite the name, their shells are thin and fragile compared to hard-shell clams.
Where Soft-shelled Clam are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Soft-shelled Clam
Background
Soft-shell clams (American English) or sand gaper (British English/Europe), scientific name Mya arenaria, popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "longnecks", "piss clams", "Ipswich clams", or "Essex clams" are a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Soft-shelled Clam article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other clams/oysters/mussels on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.