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Post by Admin on Nov 25, 2017 1:41:35 GMT
Oregon Coast softshell clam advisory
The Oregon Health Authority has issued an advisory for softshell clams along the entire Oregon Coast because they may contain high levels of naturally occurring arsenic. If you believe that the State of Oregon has the Health of our State Waters or the safety of us at heart then think again. When it comes to the health of our State Waters the State of Oregon is a miserable failure! Oh Boy!
Consider: the State of Oregon spent 35 million dollars to build a State of the Art testing facility that is operated jointly by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Health Authority; so why does Oregon refuse to test the aquatic invertebrates for the level of contaminates and toxins they are know to contain?
Oh Boy! What to do now that we have dug the clams? To begin with the regulation forcing clam diggers to keep clams with broken shells is problematical. Spoilage and contamination are the result of heat and improperly stored clams. The problems occur when the clams with broken shells die and bacteria begins to grow. The clams with broken shells should be cleaned as soon as possible to minimize bacteria growth, spoilage and cross contamination. Store the partially cleaned clam meat in plastic bags or containers and then store them in a cooler surrounded by ice for the trip home.
Once home, make the effort to finish cleaning the clams from broken shell followed by cleaning the clams with whole shells with intact shells. The limits for softshell and purple varnish clams are liberal; but if there are any doubts our questions concerning the health of any clam throw it away after leaving the digging area.
We with begin with the advisories namesake softshell clams.
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Post by Admin on Nov 25, 2017 7:10:31 GMT
Cleaning Softshell Clams
Clams taken from clams with broken shells taste every bit as good as those taken from clams with unbroken shells. The shells of softshell clams are very fragile and easily broken. Clam diggers are required to keep all softshell clams regardless of size or condition. Approximately a half a dozen of the softshell clams shown in the photos had broken shells. Clean the clams with broken shells as soon as able to do so. The clams with broken shells must be cleaned separately because the clam meat when exposed to the boiling water during the blanching process overcooks easily.
Pick the pieces of broken shell off of the clams with broken shells and cut the whole clam away from the unbroken half as shown in the photos. The removal of the skin from around the neck of softshell clams is the reason the clams are blanched with boiling water. Notice the clams from the broken shells are lowered into a large stock pot in a net bag for approximately five seconds to blanch the periostracum to loosen the skin from the clam’s neck. Notice the shriveled periostracum skin around the necks of the clams in the bowl. The clams in the net cotton bag are quickly blanched before being submerged in the cold water of the kitchen sink to stop the clams from cooking.
Cleaning softshell clams with a knife is similar to cleaning gaper clams but more difficult because of the problems encountered removing the periostracum from the softshell clam’s neck because some of the periostracum skin remains on the siphon tube. Blanching the unbroken softshell clams is the most efficient method to clean the clams. Whenever blanching clams never fill the pot more than half full of water; in addition, keep children and pets away from pots of boiling water.
To clean the clams Immerse them into a pot of boiling water until the shells pop open. The time the clams take to open depends to some extent the size and the number of clams, somewhere about 30 seconds, so keep an eye on the clams. Once the clams begin popping open, immediately remove the immersion basket from the boiling water and empty the clams into the cold water in the kitchen sink to stop them from cooking as shown in the photos.
Separate the softshell clam meat from the clams that have popped open. Use a paring knife to open the softshell clam that did not open. Run the blade of the knife between the mantle and the shell cutting through the abductor mussels. Clean the clam’s neck as shown in the photographs. 9 Cut the clam’s body from the clam’s mantel using a pair of scissors. 10 Pull the periostracum skin from the mantle down and 11 over the clam's neck pinching the skin between your thumb nail and the index finger. 12 Improve the eye appeal of the clams by brushing the dark pigment from the clam’s neck using a stiff bristle brush. Brushing the clams siphon tube removes any of the remaining contaminated periostracum. Rinse the clams in running water. 13 Butterfly cut the clam’s neck by inserting the bottom blade from a pair of scissors into the bottom siphon tube of the clam’s neck cutting through the wall of the siphon tubes. 14 The clam’s necks are ready for cooking. Not shown in the photo array is using a pair of scissors to cut the dark tip of the clam's siphon tubes.
The bodies and digger foot of softshell clams are too small for me to take the time necessary to clean them so I discard them. However for those who choose to use the bodies and digger feet Remove the gills by snipping the face of the stomach using a pair of scissors. Snipping the gills and the skin off the face of the stomach facilitates removal of the visceral material and crystalline style. Grasp the clam’s body with your left thumb and index finger and squeeze the gut bag with your thumb and index finger of your right hand to force the digestive track out. Split the body and remove the remaining dark flesh. The clams bodies are ready for cooking or freezing. The Smaller softshell clams are excellent when served as steamer clams and the larger clams are excellent either fried whole or minced for clam chowder, clam fettuccine or clam ravioli.
Additional Recommendation: It is at this point in the cleaning process where we recommend testing the cleaned clams to determine the level of contaminates contained in the clam's neck and bodies. We need to know if the level of contaminates found in the body of the clams are present at greater levels than the level of contaminates present in the Clam's neck for all species of clams consumed by recreational clam diggers. As long as the State is going to allow the harvest of shellfish recreational shellfish harvesters must know the level of contamination we are consuming.
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Post by Admin on Nov 26, 2017 7:02:27 GMT
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Post by Admin on Nov 26, 2017 7:49:58 GMT
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Post by Admin on Nov 26, 2017 7:58:05 GMT
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Post by Admin on Nov 27, 2017 4:48:34 GMT
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Post by Admin on Nov 27, 2017 4:48:48 GMT
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Post by Admin on Nov 27, 2017 17:56:27 GMT
Photos:
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Post by Admin on Nov 27, 2017 20:08:52 GMT
Cleaning Gaper Clams The second method used to clean gaper clams occurs once you are home. Place all of the clams in a 5 gallon bucket and cover them with tepid freshwater. Place the bucket in the sun and soak the clams until they have fully extended their necks loosening the brown periostracum skin, a process that takes about 4 hours.
While cleaning the clams do not be surprised to find two small pea crabs. Gaper clams have a commensal relationship with the pea crabs. The clams provide the harmless crabs with a home and meals for which the clam receives nothing in return.
To clean the clams, hold a clam level in your left hand with the neck of the clam pointed toward you. Turn the clam with the hinge side upward to a 45 degree angle. Insert the point of a sharp knife between the clam’s upper shell and the clam meat at the junction of the gape where the clam’s shells come together. Cut up and around the clam’s neck gently cutting through the adductor muscles separating the mantel from the shell. Rotate the clam gently cutting the meat from the shell running the knife between the clam’s mantel and the clam shell. Turn the clam over and repeat the process. At no time should you apply pressure with the knife. Cut the clam away from the shell and not yourself. Separate the clam’s neck from the body and foot by grasping the mantle where it is joined to the body at the adductor muscle. Pull the mantle away from the clam’s body separating the clam’s neck from the body while retaining the mantle with the clam’s neck. Place the clam necks in a bowl of hot tap water for an additional 30 minutes.
The essence of the delicate but distinctive flavor of gaper clams is contained in the white creamy flesh in the clam’s body and to a lesser extent the digger foot. The unique flavor of Oregon’s Clam chowder or Oregon’s fried gaper clams are an unforgettable taste treat that will have you digging for more. Clean the clam’s body and digger foot by cutting the gills away from the body using a pair of scissors or a knife. Split the clam’s body and scrape away any of the dark gut flesh and remove the small intestine. Thoroughly wash and refrigerate the clam’s body and digger foot.
After soaking the clam necks in hot water peel the loose leathery skin away beginning at the tip of the clam’s neck as shown above. Cut and discard the end of the darkened tip from the clam’s neck. There are two siphon tubes that extend inside the length of the clam’s neck. Insert the bottom blade of a pair of scissors into the siphon tube attached to the mantle. Cut through the inner wall of the siphon tube into and through the walls of the other siphon tube.
Retain the mantel with the neck for frying or cut the mantel away and combine it with the digger feet and bodies for use in Oregon’s clam chowder. Use a stiff bristle brush to remove the rust colored stain from the white skin to enhance their eye appeal. If the clams are going to be fried peel the layer of tough white skin from the neck as previously described in the first method.
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Post by Admin on Nov 27, 2017 21:33:23 GMT
Cleaning Gaper Clams Nearly Free of Arsenic
The delicate flavor of gaper clams set gaper clams apart from the taste and texture of most other clams species. Gaper clams are so tough it limits their popularity with clam diggers. Pounding the clams is the most common method to used to tenderize them; but one inspired clam digger figured out a better to prepare fried gaper clams to fork tender.
The cleaning method he described and showed to us at the Empire Boar Ramp in Coos Bay also works to reduce or eliminate the contaminated outer brown skin and the first layer of muscle tissue from the clam's siphon creating a method to remove them.
We suggested the method to ODFW to minimize the consumption of contaminated gaper clams but they refused our offer by ignoring our suggestion. As a matter of fact we have suggested the method to them several times. Oh well! Oh Boy! Not nice! Rude behavior is the one thing ODFW excels at doing. Click on the following links to view the text of our recommendation to minimize the consumption of arsenic contaminated softshell clams and gaper clams. We do not recommend the consumption of softshell or gaper clams in addition to consuming any shellfish from Yaquina Bay or from Coos Bay until the time the State of Oregon decides to implement a comprehensive shellfish testing program.
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Post by Admin on Nov 28, 2017 1:13:13 GMT
Cleaning Gaper Clams Click on the 3 panel photo array to expand the view of the images in the panel. Gaper clams shown in the 3 panel photo array above are cleaned using the following method are so good it places them even with the culinary attributes of razor clams. The proper cleaning and preparation of gaper clams begins while they are being dug. Thoroughly wash the loose sand from the gaper clams. Do not be fooled by dead clams. The shells of dead clams are often stuck together by hardened sand/mud. There are two methods used to clean gaper clams. If the clams are going to be fried place the washed clams in a cooler on top a bag of crushed ice immediately Icing the clams and cleaning the clams immediately ensures the clams are fresh and tender when the clams are fried. The clams cleaned using this method do not require pounding. To clean the clams, hold a clam level in your left hand with the neck (siphon tube) of the clam pointed toward you. Turn the clam with the hinge side upward to a 45–degree angle. Insert the point of a sharp knife between the clam’s upper shell and the clam meat at the junction of the gape where the clam’s shells come together. Cut up and around the clam’s neck gently cutting through the adductor muscles separating the mantel from the shell Rotate the clam gently cutting the meat from the shell running the knife between the clam’s mantel and the clam shell. Turn the clam over and repeat the process. At no time should you apply pressure with the knife. Cut the clam away from the shell and not yourself. 1st Panel- Photos by Brandon Williams.
Once the clam is free from the shell, hold the clam by the digger foot and body in your left hand as shown in photo No. 1 of the photo array. The mantle will be on the left side of the clam and the gills will be on the right side of the clam. Insert the tip of a blade from a knife between the gills and the body. Cut downwards cutting the gills away from the clam’s body as shown in photo No. 2. Hold the neck in your left hand and pull the gills away from the neck with your right hand discarding the gills. Turn the body with the cut side up in your left hand as shown in photo No. 3. Insert the point of the knife into the base of the clam’s body cutting through the body butter flying the body exposing the digestive track as shown in photo No. 4 and 5. Scrape away the digestive track with the knife blade as shown in photo No. 6. The body should now be fairly free of the dark colored visceral flesh as shown in photo no 7. Peel the dark colored skin from the mantles pulling it downward toward the base of the neck past the large wrinkle of white skin where the mantles are attached to the neck as shown in photos No. 8 and 9. Hold the neck in your left hand and insert the knife blade into the siphon tube that the mantles are attached to as shown in photo No. 10. Continue cutting through the siphon tube as show in photo No.11. Use a very sharp knife to score the surface of the neck cutting it from side to side but barely cutting through the top layer of white skin at the base of the wrinkle at the base of the neck where the mantles joins the neck. Stick your thumbnail under the edge of the cut layer of thin white skin pulling it and peeling it toward the tip of the neck as far as possible as shown in photo No. 12, 13, 14 and 15. Using a sharp knife fillet the dark skin from the neck as shown in photo No.16. Using scissors cut off the tip of the neck as shown in photo No. 17. Thoroughly wash and trim the siphon tube as show in photo No.11. Use a very sharp knife to score the surface of the neck cutting it from side to side but barely cutting through the top layer of white skin at the base of the wrinkle at the base of the neck where the mantles joins the neck. Stick your thumbnail under the edge of the cut layer of thin white skin pulling it and peeling it toward the tip of the neck as far as possible as shown in photo No. 12, 13, 14 and 15. Using a sharp knife fillet the dark skin from the neck as shown in photo No.16. Using scissors cut off the tip of the neck as shown in photo No. 17. Thoroughly wash and trim any remaining guts and gills from the clam as shown in photo No. 18 and you are ready to cook your clams.
2 nd Panel
3 rd Panel 
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Post by Admin on Nov 28, 2017 14:23:26 GMT
How does the State go forward from here? Is there a plan?
For instance: what does contamination by micro-plastic in our shellfish mean to us? What type and amount of contaminates will be released into Coos Bay when the Army Corp of Engineers dredge Coos Bay to facilitate the movement of LNG laden ships out of Coos Bay? The State Of Oregon can spend 60 million dollars to dredge Coos Bay but cannot afford to spend any money on testing the shellfish taken from Oregon's State Waters for pollutants and contaminated shellfish. Have the citizens of Oregon lost Coos Bay? Coos Bay is owned by a foreign multination corporation who is shoving pollution down our throats. Invade America by buying it. America is for sale: Cheap!
This is unacceptable to the members of the CDAO. Bill
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Post by Admin on Aug 5, 2019 4:31:00 GMT
The burning question remains, "Why are polluters not ordered to pay for follow up testing of marine organisms taken from the areas they pollute?"
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Post by south on Aug 5, 2019 21:20:08 GMT
Will it be pollution or invasive species that end productivity for Coos Bay.
Thanks Canada we know you spent a lot of influence money in Salem. Oregon for sale to the highest bidder. Campaign finance reform or vote everyone out of office.
Do you really believe Canada or China cares about our coastal resources? Coos Bay shellfish have been a food source for thousands of years.
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