Clams

[Fogg 427]

What’s the study with availability of clams in NZ? Up until about a month ago they were in every supermarket next to the mussels. Now none in sight. Fishmonger says none for a while. Are they seasonal? Fishmonger didn’t know! Only info I can find suggests they should be available year round like mussels???

[erice 732]

"clams" seems to mean almost any shellfish to most americans

 

in much the same way "shrimp" seems to = shrimp, prawn, scampy, crayfish, lobster

 

i guess you mean the white cockles? sometimes seen in red mesh bags next to the mussels at countdown etc

 

mussels + oysters are farmed, so are available year-round

 

but pipis, tuatua, cockles, bluff oysters, scallops, paua, geoducks? don't seem to be farmed 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaculture_in_New_Zealand

 

edit

 

these cockles = little neck clams, look like the ones have seen at supermarkets

 

http://nzclams.com/

 

harvested from the beaches of otago

 

probably only seasonal 

[Fogg 427]

Yup when I said clams I meant to use the scientific name:

 

“Small white things next to the mussels at Countdown”

[Jon 359]

Got some at the Barrier on Sunday

That may not help

[Cantab 341]

Pretty sure they come from the beach

[erice 732]

from that littleneck page

 

There is an on-going traditional customary and recreational harvest throughout New Zealand. In the past twenty years there has been a growing commercial harvest of littleneck clams, the main sites being located on Snake Bank in the Whangarei Harbour, etc etc

 

Snake Bank is not the only cockle bed in Whangarei Harbour, but it is the only bed open for commercial fishing. The others are on the mainland, notably Marsden Bay, and other sandbanks,

 

pic of snake bank

 

https://photosnz.co.nz/shop/snake-bank-shellfish-beds/

 

edit

 

Okoromai Bay in Shakespear Regional Park

 

 

https://www.albomadventures.com/collecting-cockles/

[wheels 543]

If you want the real McCoy Clam, they are called Surf Clams.
A guy I have known for many years pioneered harvesting Surf Clams right here in Marlborough. His Son's now run the company.
If you are on Facebook, you can find them here
https://www.facebook.com/Cloudy-Bay-Clams-393973434011279/
If you want to read about them, try this link
http://supermarketnews.co.nz/cloudy-bay-clams/

[Black Panther 1,579]

In Mexico they have a clam that believe it or not is naturally spicy. Delicious stuffed with salsa and barbequed.

[harrytom 641]

surf clams most likely exported,what you get in the supermarket are dredge cockles and we all know the beds are thinning,lots of AK beach get closures.There was a bay on Ponui island that produce 50mm/70mm cockles right through the 70s well in to the 90s.Went back in 2012 and nil,what we found was a black sludge which has since found out is sediment washed from the beachlands area and even dredging silt from pine harbour,speaking of which since pine harbour has gone in the little island to the south of pine harbour had sweet mussels. The mussels there now will make you crook.The beach south of beachlands Te puna?? had cockle right up to early 2000,now nil and black sludge.

[tmouse 3]

Check out Southern Clams, supplier to most NZ supermarkets.Based out of Dunedin

[Fogg 427]

Check out Southern Clams, supplier to most NZ supermarkets.Based out of Dunedin

Superb, will do, thanks!