Stock Status - Unknown - Little data on the hard clam have been collected in North Carolina. Commercial landings are below the 10-year average.

Average Commercial Landings and Value 1996-2005 - 616,872 lbs. of meat/$4,052,209

2005 Commercial Landings and Value - 413,552 lbs. of meat/$2,782,169

Average Recreational Landings 1996-2005 – Unknown, 2005 - Unknown

Status of Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) - A state FMP was approved August 2001 by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission. An update of the 2001 FMP will begin in 2006.

Data/Research Needs - Expand shellfish mapping, determine abundance estimates, and collect recreational harvest data. Stock identification, recruitment, and effects of cultch research studies.

Current Regulations (2006) - 1-inch-thick size limit

Harvest Season – Daily commercial harvest limits are no more than 6,250 clams (25 bags at 250 clams per bag) per fishing operation in any coastal fishing waters regardless of the harvest methods employed. By hand, the season is open year round. Mechanical harvest season is December 1 - March 31 and is opened by proclamation. A daily harvest limit of no more than 3,750 clams (15 bags at 250 clams per bag) is allowed per commercial fishing operation in North River, Newport River, and Bogue Sound. A daily harvest limit in the New River of no more than 6,250 clams (25 bags at 250 clams per bag) in possession per commercial fishing operation is allowed. Daily harvest limits for Core and Pamlico Sounds are no more than 5,000 clams (20 bags at 250 clams per bag) per commercial fishing operation. Recreational harvest limits are 100 clams per person per day with no more than 200 clams per vessel.

Size and Age at Maturity - 1.5 inches, (shell height)/1.5 years

Historical and Current Maximum Age - 45 years/Unknown

Juvenile Abundance Index 1996-2005 and 2005 – None available

Habits/Habitats - Hard clams are mostly estuarine dependent mollusks found in sandy and vegetated bottoms. Spawning occurs from May through November when water temperatures reach between 68° and 86° degrees F. The larvae go through several pelagic stages before settling onto a suitable substrate. During the juvenile stages, hard clams tend to be dominantly male and then become either male or female as they mature into adults. Maturity is determined by size and therefore dependent on growth. Growth rates are highly variable because of temperature, food availability, and genetic disposition. Hard clams are suspension-feeding bivalves and feed on diatoms.