Clams are bivalve molluscs — soft-bodied animals enclosed in a two-part hinged shell — found in marine and estuarine environments around the world. The term “clam” is broad and informal, covering hundreds of species across multiple families. Common edible types include littleneck clams, quahogs, razor clams, surf clams, and pipis.
Clams have been a food source for coastal peoples for millennia, with shell middens providing some of the earliest archaeological evidence of human seafood consumption. They are filter feeders, drawing water through their bodies to extract plankton and organic particles, which gives them a clean, briny, slightly sweet flavour that reflects the waters they grow in.
In Australian waters, the most commonly harvested species include pipis (Donax deltoides) and vongole (Katelysia spp.), both of which appear on restaurant menus and at fishmongers. Globally, clams are central to dishes like New England clam chowder, Italian spaghetti alle vongole, and Korean clam soup.
How it's produced
Clams are both wild-harvested and farmed. Wild clams are gathered by hand digging on tidal flats, by raking, or by hydraulic dredging in deeper waters. In Australia, pipi harvesting along ocean beaches is both a commercial and recreational activity, regulated by state fisheries authorities with bag limits and seasonal closures to protect stocks.
Clam aquaculture involves spawning clams in hatcheries, growing juvenile “seed” clams in nurseries, and then planting them in suitable intertidal or subtidal areas to grow to market size. The clams feed naturally by filtering the water around them, requiring no supplemental feed — making clam farming one of the more environmentally benign forms of aquaculture. Major farmed species globally include Manila clams and hard clams. Harvest typically involves raking or dredging the grown clams from the seabed.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for shellfish, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
What comes from this
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