Life of a Clam Digger

WoodenBoat magazine May/June, No. 226 includes an article on the restoration of the clam tonging boat NATIVE SON from Great South Bay, New York. The clamming industry in this region is now gone, but you can view rare footage of its 1970s heyday in this film shot by Tom Seerveld when he was in high school, and edited recently by his son Chris.

[@doughaman9634]

Thanks for posting this.....dont know how I came across this vid but it just brought me back to my childhood! In the 80s I used to watch these boats all the time come out of Homans creek and Browns river. I miss seeing so many of these boats dotted across the bay even if they had to break ice to get out. Sad to think that the life of the baymen is almost all but forgotten.

[@SurfahSistah]

Thank you Tom and Chris Seerveld for preserving this part of West Sayville, Long Island, NY history, from a half-breed West Sayville, Long Island, NY Dutch girl.

[@bassbob42]

Oh the memories. What a unique time we lived in. Would love to go back in time.

[@hikerdude5265]

I remember back in the 70's, the Kingston Fish market was there. rickety old place that had the best steamed lobster and steamers. (Real steamers, soft shell clams, not the boiled down hard shells most people THINK are steamers). A bunch of umbrella tables right on the dock and many days spent eating lunch just watching the boats come in. Thanks for the walk back in time.

[@oblina75]

In the Winter we would pour rock salt on the decks so they wouldn't ice up, there would be just a kind of slush. If it was below freezing you would have to keep the clams in tubs of water so they didn't freeze. Tonged in orange Fireball mittens which got wet with sweat inside pretty quick, turned them inside out to dry at night. After a while the got kinda ripe. I liked working the shell beds off Patchogue, sixteens and eighteen a lot of the time. I built an inboard tonging garvey a lot like the ones in the video, had a Palmer Six.

[@ejpusa]

Pretty far out. Grew up in Bellport. Clamming was part of our life. Thanks for posting.

[@66jbg]

Great video. I grew up in Blue Point in the early 70's. I enjoyed clamming in the summer for a little spending money. Thanks for posting.

[@Mbcoinsnet]

Cool video I started clamming in West Islip around 1974 while still going to school. Used to drop the clams off at a dock over there by the hospital can't remember the road. Get a couple of those tiny miller quickies and a hot dog or 2. Made some good money back than. I am sure some of you guys from out east went to Florida ( Grant and Sebastian) in the early 80's for the set of clams that came up. It was crazy there was so many clams I mean we were doing like 6-8 bags a day. 500 count little necks the clams were perfect till they ran out. Did that for about a year than that was it. Great to see a video of my past.

[@pocono49murphy96]

Lived in Sayville back then and of course it will never be the same.

[@jamescory5]

classic stuff! Back then, Blue Point, Bayport and Sayville was the home of clamming

[@DrHamma1]

West Sayville docks. Great snapper fishing all day long in the summer loooong before cell phones

[@steveschultz8511]

Great memories 👌

[@williamreed5710]

thanks for posting

[@christhevancura9113]

That's pretty cool used to go out by the forges river with my sisters boyfriend who did pretty good in the late seventies clamin..was good hard work I was a kid at time I stayed with them one summer out in mastic...Nothing like Long Island clams..would also do it for fun (under a bushel) with a inner tube and a basket feeling around with our feet in the bay out in the shallow areas of the bay by Fire island and the cap trees by Roberts Moses causeway...fun times

[@iplaypearldrums7935]

In 81' I'd take my 12' aluminum boat w/ a 7hp motor across the bay to the shallow areas & dig w/ my feet by the RM Causeway bridge.

[@brandonmurphy8837]

handtonging for clams

[@scasey1960]

Yes, the clamming industry is gone. Clams existed here for thousands of years. The oldest known living creature is a clam. Over less than 200 years, the clam population was wiped out by unregulated fishing and raw capitalism. Is this the fate of our planet?