05/24/2011

I was reading this post by a blogger I follow, and it reminded me so strongly of the clam digging I used to do back in Washington State that I thought I'd make a post on the subject.

First of all, this...

...is not something real clam diggers use. If anyone ever tells me they have gone clam digging and then I get a picture like this one, I will make quite a point out of ensuring that they be subjected to endless mockery on the matter.

Ok so, first, the essential tools of a clam digger:

Shovel:

Most important tool. The longer and thinner the "blade" the better. Preferably should have a half-length handle like this one, but a full handle can be dealt with or sawed off. Most experienced clam diggers will actually sharpen the tip of the blade with a grind wheel till it is as nearly razor-sharp as possible as this speeds its penetration of the sand, a point the importance of which will be understood later. The blade can also be "oiled" with shortening or grease, and should definitely be rust-free to prevent drag.

Net:

These devices are often home-made and consist of a mesh net attached to a hard rubber or metal hoop. The net must be long and thin as in this picture. The device is attached to one's person by three short ropes which keep the opening facing front at all times.

Two-Mantle Gas Lantern:

This is the best method of lighting the area one will dig in as nothing really gets brighter and as easily portable as one of these. Clam diggers will often find a good "spot" with lots of clam holes and set the lantern in the center, digging around it then moving on.

Wheelbarrow:

Believe it or not a commercial clam digger can dig well over 200 lb of clams in the space of a couple hours. Some even bring two wheelbarrows and two assistants to move them and the lantern, just so they can contantly dig.

So this is what a clam field looks like in daylight:

Usually diggers will start digging well before daylight however, as early as 3-4am. Hence the lanterns.

This is a razor clam, the type I am most experienced at digging:


The basic strategy of "real" clam digging is to pull the clam out of the sand by grasping its extended neck, before it can swell its foot, providing it with numerous pounds of downward force that can make it difficult or impossible to extract, and retract its neck. As a clam can anchor itself in about a second, the entire duration of extracting the clam must last only a fraction of a second. To accomplish this, the blade of the shovel is set about two inches to the side of the clam hole, toward the ocean, and facing inward toward the shore. The shovel is grasped underhand by the handle with the right hand and the left hand is placed on the top of the blade. It is rapidly thrust downward at an angle that brings the tip vertically parralel to the clam hole at about five to seven inches depth, and then rapidly removed vertically to form a sharp V-shaped space. The neck of the clam should be exposed parallel to the vertical side of this space. Halfway through removal of this chunk of sand, the left hand releases from the blade and shoots down into the space, grasping the neck of the clam with the fingertips and pulling it entirely out just as the tip of the shovel blade reaches the surface. This process takes about .8 seconds. The clam is then thrown backward into the net and the digger moves on to the next clam hole. Usually if the neck breaks that means it was cut by the shovel and the digger should adjust the angle or depth of their initial thrust.