Hard Clams | New York Sea Grant

The History of Hard Clams In New York

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1800s

Maritime Commerce Ingenuity

Clams were more affordable than oysters, which inspired Italian and Chinese immigrants to establish seafood businesses specializing in this shellfish.

1800s

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1889

Clams Come to Main Street

The Clam, a ten-seat restaurant on Fulton Street, was reported on by the Evening Sun. This establishment was believed to be one of the first single-serving restaurants specializing in clams and clam products.

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1865

Doxsee Clam Company Is Founded

In 1865, the first Long Island clam processing plant in Islip was opened by James H. Doxsee. The company sold clams to local residents and local markets, and advertised clams, clam juice, and clam powder.

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1900

Signs of Downturn Begin

Wild clam shortages in the Great South Bay forced Doxsee company to close the canning operation.

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1947

Hard Clam Landings Recover

Hard clams were harvested in record numbers in New York, totaling over 10 million pounds of clam meat.

1825

1889

1900

1947

1970

Hard Clams Increase in Value

Beginning in 1970, the dockside value of hard clams surpassed the value of other shellfish species.

1980s

Brown Tide Damages Long Island's Hard Clam Supply

The Great South Bay was impacted repeatedly by brown tide throughout the mid-80s. Brown tide is a deadly algae bloom that affects shellfish and fish by depriving them of oxygen, or by releasing toxins.

1996

New York Sea Grant Launches a Brown Tide Research Initiative

Due to the damage caused by brown tide beginning in the 1980s, NYSG launched a research and education initiative to understand the causes of brown tide and spread awareness to the general public.

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2002

Disease Creates New Challenges

Hard clams in Raritan Bay died after an outbreak of QPX disease.

1970

1980s

2008

Hard Clam Population Shows Improvement

250 million baby clams were located where in the land that Bluepoint Oyster Company donated, and clam populations experienced a 40-fold increase from their baseline numbers.

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2004

A New Lease on Life

The Nature Conservancy purchased land in the Great South Bay from Bluepoint Oyster Company. From 2004 to 2010, 13,000 acres were used to plant four million adult clams relocated from Connecticut and other areas within Long Island.

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2012

Hard Clam Production Recovery

Hard clam production increased in New York by more than 70%. After consistent local and state efforts to improve water quality in the Long Island Sound, aquaculture production increased. Reopening of wild shellfish beds contributed to the rise in hard clam production to increase. There is still work to be done to achieve historical production levels.