The Maine at Work article in today’s Press Herald tags along with Tim Downs as he digs clams in Scarborough.
“It’s important to keep the hole clean, so you can see where the clams are at,” Downs said.
Once he had a hole dug, he began digging up mud more strategically, looking for air holes the clams had made, and placing two of his four tines on either side of the hole so as to not pierce the clam. Then he’d flip a chunk of mud over, and more often than not, find clams.
“We’ll get this one next year,” said Downs, holding a clam that looked less than 2 inches long, which means the state deems it too small to keep.
Today’s newspaper also includes an article on the 2009-2010 Maine Shrimp Season.
Northern shrimp are believed to be so plentiful in the Gulf of Maine that regulators have declared a full six-month fishing season for a second straight year. And, unlike last year, fishermen and dealers are hopeful that there will be enough of a market to make money on the small pink crustaceans.
Word on the waterfront says auction bids will be between $0.45 and $0.60 this first week. Expect twice that at retail points of sale.