Foraging Wild Ocean Seafood

By Suzanna S. Mcdonald
Published on March 1, 1972
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The soft shell clam should be one of your easier finds when searching for wild ocean seafood.
The soft shell clam should be one of your easier finds when searching for wild ocean seafood.
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Only the pincers and forelegs of the blue crab are blue.
Only the pincers and forelegs of the blue crab are blue.
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Blue mussels (left) are good to eat, but not ribbed mussels (right).
Blue mussels (left) are good to eat, but not ribbed mussels (right).
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The male blue crab (left) has a narrow apron on its abdomen. The female (right) has a wide apron.
The male blue crab (left) has a narrow apron on its abdomen. The female (right) has a wide apron.
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The quahog is a hard shelled clam.
The quahog is a hard shelled clam.
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A seine net is an effective way to gather in a lot of fish at once. Flouder are found in the ocean, crappie in backwaters.
A seine net is an effective way to gather in a lot of fish at once. Flouder are found in the ocean, crappie in backwaters.
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Black bass and mullet fish.
Black bass and mullet fish.
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Three edible sea plants: Irish moss, rockweed, and sea lettuce.
Three edible sea plants: Irish moss, rockweed, and sea lettuce.
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Jonah crabs (left) and dungeness crabs (right) are also good eatin'.
Jonah crabs (left) and dungeness crabs (right) are also good eatin'.
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Giant kelp are an edible seaweed.
Giant kelp are an edible seaweed.
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Orach and goose tongue are edible, but not hemlock.
Orach and goose tongue are edible, but not hemlock.

Scrounging for wild ocean seafood — everything from clams and mussels
to crabs for bait, cat food, and fertilizer — is both
easy and fun, and the booty can be mouthwateringly
delectable. One of my favorite crannies for practicing the
art is a small cove in Maine. The inlet is ringed with red

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