Many shellfish like clams, crabs and sea urchins have a hard outer shell, but there are also shellfish with shells reduced or even absent, such as squid, octopus and sea cucumbers. Bivalve molluscs means shellfish with two shells, such as clams, oysters, scallops, mussels and cockles.
Few meals can rival a feast of West Coast clams, oysters, mussels, prawns or crabs.
Where permitted by regulations, shellfish may be easily harvested from the beach. Prawns and crabs require traps, but even this process is relatively easy. Recreational fishers are required to hold a British Columbia Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence to harvest shellfish in tidal waters . Eating contaminated biotoxins in shellfish can be life threatening. This information can change frequently.