Fishing for Info | Manila Clam

Clam split open, with upper shell showing a smooth interior surface, and lower shell containing tan-coloured flesh and organs.

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This clam was introduced to British Columbia from Japan in the 1930s. It is now the most valuable farmed clam in Canada. Other farmed clam species include Quahog and Softshell.

Clams grow best on muddy tidal flats. Farmers place the clams in bags, trays, or pens along the bottoms of tidal areas. The clams can then bury themselves into the beach.

Group of young clams with a variety of white, brown and black markings in a blue plastic sieve.

Clam seeds can be produced in hatcheries, or collected from the wild.

Good to Know . . .

Aerial view of a clam garden along the water’s edge, surrounded by mature trees.

Keith Holmes, Hakai Institute. Quadra Island, British Columbia, in the traditional territories of the Laich-Kwil-Tach and northern Coast Salish peoples.

Native species of clams, such as Butter clams and Littleneck clams, have been farmed in Canada by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Some farms are around 3,500 years old.

Group of Manila clams with raised, curved ridges on their outer shells.

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Manila clams grow rings on the outside of their shells. As with trees, the rings can reveal how old a clam is, and the environmental conditions in which it lived.

Cooked clams tossed in butter and chives on a black ceramic plate on a wooden table.

Manila clams became popular in the 1980s. People liked that the edible part of the clam could be easily removed from the shell when the clam was cooked.

Beach view of a clam garden, showing a rocky, raised barrier around the outside and a smooth, muddy garden inside.

Keith Holmes, Hakai Institute. Quadra Island, British Columbia, in the traditional territories of the Laich-Kwil-Tach and northern Coast Salish peoples.

Clam farming, as practiced by First Nations on the West Coast, is an excellent example of sustainability. Their practices provide food for people, increase the number of clams, and allow other species to thrive around clam gardens.