Quahogs are found just below the sand or mud surface between the high and low tidal zone and beyond, in sheltered waters. A quahog with a shell thickness or hinge width of less than 1 inch is seed and below legal harvest size. These should not be taken. A 1 inch thick to 2 1/2 inch long quahog is known as a littleneck, a 2 1/2 to 3 inch quahog is a cherrystone, and a 3 inch or larger quahog is a chowder. The chowders are often used to make chowder, clam pie, and fritters.

Pronounced "Koh-Hog", this clam is the main ingredient of New England Clam Chowder. The purple interior of the valves (shells) was formed into beads and traded as "wampum" by the Native Americans that lived in the area. Quahogs today are still harvested in the wild using long clam rakes in shallow water. They are increasingly being farmed, Planktonic larvae are raised on phytoplankton until they "set" (finish their free-swimming stage and settle). The "seed" are then transported to leased grow-out areas where they feed in the wild until harvesting.

Pronounced "Koh-Hog", this clam is the main ingredient of New England Clam Chowder. The purple interior of the valves (shells) was formed into beads and traded as "wampum" by the Native Americans that lived in the area.

Quahogs today are still harvested in the wild using long clam rakes in shallow water. They are increasingly being farmed, the most common method entails obtaining eggs and sperm from wild caught clams. The eggs are fertilized by mixing with sperm in seawater. Planktonic larvae are raised on phytoplankton until they "set" (finish their free-swimming stage and settle). The "seed" are then transported to leased grow-out areas where they feed in the wild until harvesting.