Each year, nearly ten thousand people head to Connecticut’s coastal waters to harvest shellfish, including clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. It’s a popular pastime and it provides an inexpensive and healthy source of local seafood. Fifteen coastal towns offer permits for sale and have local bait and tackle shops where harvesting supplies can be purchased.

Learn more about:

• Permit Sales and Rules  - Guide to Shellishing Along the Connecticut Coast
• Harvest Area Locations - Mapping Atlas
• Economic Impact - Catching Value Report
• Keeping it Cool - Brochure

About

Recreational shellfishing is offered in many of Connecticut's coastal towns. Each town sets its own rules including permit fees, species, seasons and catch limits. Always remember to have a cooler full of ice when heading out. Keep the shellfish cold and immediately transfer to refrigerator upon return.

• Guide to Recreational Shellfishing in Connecticut (2024 coming soon!)
• Shellfish Harvest Area Maps (select "recreational shellfish beds" from the layer list and zoom to your town)
• Management Guidance
• State Regulatory Guidance Documents
• Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC)
• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Manual

Annual Gathering of Shellfish Commissions

Organized by Connecticut Sea Grant, this meeting covers all aspects of local shellfisheries management and features regulatory guidance from the Department of Agriculture/Bureau of Aquaculture. Contact: tessa.getchis@uconn.edu or (860) 405-9104.