Hingham is open to commercial shellfishing 4 months a year. Our shellfish resource is restricted under state regulations and only commercial shellfishing is permitted. Recreational shellfish is not permitted in the Town of Hingham Waterways.

Shellfish Constable

The Harbormaster is the "Shellfish Constable" part of his duties involve monitoring, inspecting and enforcing the Shellfish Regulations. This is important to ensure that the clams sold on the market are safe and do not contain contaminated shellfish.

    Commercial Shellfishers Digging for Shellfish
    Commercial Shellfisher with Shellfish
    Shellfish Being Measured
    Workers Loading Harvested Shellfish onto a Truck

Food Safety

After harvesting, the shellfish are transported by the Master Digger to the state purification facility. After purification, the clams are sold to the market.

Contaminated shellfish can cause stomach aches to serious food poisoning depending on several factors. This is an important public health safety concern and taken very seriously by the Harbormaster.