soft-shell clam

Definition of soft-shell clam

: an elongated clam (Mya arenaria) of the east coast of North America that has a thin friable shell and long siphon and is eaten especially when steamed

— called also soft-shelled clam, steamer

Examples of soft-shell clam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Brian Beal, a biologist at the University of Maine at Machias who studies green crabs’ particularly severe damage to soft-shell clam fisheries, says these animals thrive in warmer waters. — Laura Poppick, Scientific American, "Harm to Table: Turning an Invasive Crab into a Delicacy," 30 Oct. 2019 But soft-shell clam farming remains mostly uncharted territory, said Jeff Nichols, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. — Washington Post, "As clam harvesting declines, could farming be the answer?," 3 June 2018 The crabs’ rise has coincided with the decline of the Maine soft-shell clam industry, which had its smallest harvest since the 1930s last year, due in part to an increase in predators, like crabs. — Washington Post, "How to slow an invasive species? Turn it into gourmet food," 6 June 2018 The predators eat soft-shell clams, which are often used in fried clam rolls and clam strips. — Washington Post, "As clam harvesting declines, could farming be the answer?," 3 June 2018 The inhabitants ate shellfish, of course, mostly soft-shell clams. — Murray Carpenter, New York Times, "Native American Secrets Lie Buried in Huge Shell Mounds," 19 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'soft-shell clam.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near soft-shell clam

soft-shell clam

soft-shell crab

softshell turtle

Statistics for soft-shell clam

Cite this Entry

“Soft-shell clam.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft-shell%20clam. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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