The Ipswich Shellfish Department will act to preserve, protect, manage and enhance the shellfish resources and ecological wellbeing of the Ipswich tidal flats through the professional enforcement of state laws and local regulations. Our Constables, in a collaborative effort with the stake holders, will strive to insure a sustainable harvest of shellfish and opportunity for those residence who make their living on the tide.
The Shellfish Constable and his assistant are responsible for the patrol of over 900 acres of clam beds, spread out over 43 miles of shoreline where they must enforce federal, state and local laws concerning the taking of all species of shellfish.
Green Crab Trapping
Green crab trapping is a very important program that has been, and continues to be, effective in lowering overall green crab numbers. This in turn allows more juvenile soft shell clams to grow to harvest size, protects the Great Marsh from the destructive burrowing of the crabs, and protects eel grass from being eaten by the crab. Trapping, in my opinion is the best solution for sustaining clam populations and protecting our marshland. In 2023, 85,838 lbs. of green crabs were caught through the town-trapping program. Many thousands of pounds more were trapped outside the town program. The European green crab is the most dangerous threat to Ipswich shellfish populations and its control is essential to the future of our clamming industry.
Shellfish Constable
Ofc. Matthew Bodwell
mbodwell@ipswichpolice.org
(978) 265-4638
Asst Shellfish Constable
Rob Campo
Clam Line & Status of the Flats
(978) 356-6671
*This is a phone line people call to get a daily recorded message on the status of clam flats in Ipswich.
Harvesting in 2023
This year’s daily harvest limit remained 300 lbs per day, per digger without any concern for the shellfish biomass, which continues to be robust enough to sustain the daily weight limit. In reality, the average digger does not reach the 300 lbs limit on each day. The weight totals for the 2022 harvest were, for soft shell clams 981.533 lbs. total value of $2,230,827 and for razor clams 110,611 lbs. total value of $713,027.