Threats Take Toll on Maine's Popular 'Steamers'

SCARBOROUGH, Maine - Maine soft-shell clam diggers are hopeful for a stronger summer this year as the historic industry struggles with a multi-year decline in harvest.
 
Maine is the soft-shell clam capital of the country, and the clams are harvested from coastal mud. Clammers harvested less than 1.5 million pounds last year, the lowest total in a quarter century.
 
Clams in the state face of a number of threats, including invasive green crabs, which eat them. Shellfish toxins also necessitated closures last year. The Maine Clammers Association says it's hoping for a bounce-back year because many clams seem to be reaching legal size.
 
The clams are also known as "steamers'' and they are fried, used in chowder and, of course, steamed. They're also harvested in smaller numbers in Massachusetts and New York.