Long Island calls, he said, have so far been about illegal clamming.

The job of clamming has become much safer and more lucrative than it once was.

"The biggest problem with clamming has been development and pollution.

And you'll only find the older folks doing some recreational clamming."

Another popular method for bay clamming is the use of specialized tongs from a boat.

Last winter much of Northwest Creek opened for seasonal clamming.

It didn't matter how cold you were, the rule was that you weren't going home until the clamming was done.

After that, the Tulalip Indians used the site only for seasonal clamming.

"Recently the economy has been very good, and clamming has never been a very easy way to make money."

Man Against Sea Back then ocean clamming was unregulated.

Another form of commercial clamming is done from a flat-decked boat using a clamrake with a telescopic handle.

"All of the sudden, there's no clamming.

Some of these acres are in areas where clamming has been banned for 30 years, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.

Amateurs usually do their clamming by hand in summer, when the water is soft and warm and the surf a mere ruffle.

Clamming has been suspended indefinitely.

And clam beds in the region have had low yields because of overzealous clamming and diseases affecting shellfish.

The best clamming, they assert, is near the entrance to Shinnecock Bay to the east, where salinity is highest.

But the good clamming ended, as did Captain Schnepp's youth-filled days on Long Island.

The state recently imposed restrictions on the construction of docks and bulkheads to protect shellfish habitats and commercial and recreational clamming.

I have had reports of some good clamming taking place in the back bays, along with some nice keeper crabs as of a week or so ago.

The bill would provide money for an increase in the number of state inspectors and allow the state to open more river and bay areas for commercial clamming.

They have buckets and trowels as they're going clamming, and Popeye leaves first, navigating the sand with a gratifyingly bandy gait.

One section, for example, might be devoted to small-scale aquaculture, while another might be carefully restored with the goal of allowing baymen to do limited clamming.

The association also maintains a private boat launch and two small beaches, and when the "clamming is open" sign is posted islanders can count on shellfish for dinner.

Officials from the Department of Environmental Protection are to declare 623 acres at the eastern end of the river open today to unrestricted commerical and recreational clamming during those months.

"My wife could go through half a million clams in a week."

"We had our eyes on these clams for two years!"

It seems to me that they should go look in the water for clams.

The clam can be used by several players on a team while the rest are running a man defense.

He'd open her up soon enough, just like a clam.

But the big competition is to find a new use for clams.

"Certainly the numbers for hard clams have been bad in the last several years," he said.

The only thing I put in raw are the clams.

Add the clams and cook for about 7 minutes, until they open.

Most of the time I shut up like a clam.

Many of them are known under the common name the horse clam.

Cook about 5 minutes, until all the clams have opened.

You put your feet in the water and scrub the clams.

Cover and cook until the clams open, five to seven minutes.

With his son Michael, he opened a clam bar in 1946.

Clean the clams; do not use any that are open.

She was looking for the clam on the half shell.

In other words, writers at times use clams because they are part of the cultural moment.

We park for a while, then stop in a local clam joint.

"What I saw him do was clam up and ask for a lawyer."

"At least I'd like to get a few clams out of this."

If I cut loose to stop them, they'll close up like clams.

With luck, some clams will come up in that first effort.

The best known is pork and clams, but there are several.

He had time on his hands, and the local clam population was booming.

A lot of people just clam up and keep to themselves these days.

And of course that's when he started to clam up.

They were clamming up because he was getting too close.

Either no one knows anything or they are clamming up.

If I asked him questions straight out, he might clam up.

Or maybe you'd just clam up and ask for a lawyer.

But they're both clamming up on some parts of the story.

I'll find a use for it when some politician clams up.

As the appointment began to seem certain, they clammed up.

Wish I could get him to come out and talk to you guys, but he's clammed up on us.

It'll be interesting to see if my sources clam up on this thing.

As the questions became more technical, the two men suddenly clammed up.

That decade is here, but the editor has decided to clam up.

Settled into practice a few years later, doctors clam up.

"At other times, it seems it's just too much and he clams up."

Companies will clam up or issue a lot of pap.

Asked for some details, they all laughed and clammed up.

"Try to put them on the air and they'll clam up.

Other times, she would clam up tight, not even acknowledge questions.

There are still a few people able to make a living off clamming on the bay, but it's nothing like it was.

He is retired now, but recently agreed to go clamming with a friend.

When I pressed her for details, she quickly clammed up.

They turned to go into the student rooms, saw me and clammed up completely.

"Well all the more reason for you to clam up about it," he warned.

Then his sergeant arrived in person and he clammed up.