Nature has endowed Long Island clams with a distinct taste, renowned by generations of seafood lovers.
Hard clams live in shallow coastal bay waters in areas with a soft sandy bottom.
Scientists estimate that it takes an average of 3 years for hard clams to reach commercial size in the area from New York to Massachusetts. Actual growth rates are dependent upon factors like water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and the quality and quantity of available food. The hard clam fishery has been New York's most important commercial fishery for most of the twentieth century. In recent years, the hard clam has been the second most valuable seafood product harvested in New York, second only to lobsters. Hard clams are harvested in near shore waters along Long Island's South Shore from Nassau County to Southampton, in the Peconic Bay and along the North Shore of Long Island from Orient to western Nassau County.