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Northshore October 2025
Clamming is a time-honored tradition-and industry-in Ipswich.Ipswich has been tied to clams ever since Masconomet, chief of the Agawams, spent summers in the 1660s fishing and clamming on Hog Island. The salt, the mud beds of the tidal estuaries, and the ocean's numerous nutrients all contribute to the clam's abundance and taste, says Ipswich shellfish constable Scott LaPreste, a former clammer. "They taste real sweet, which is a function of the cold water. It keeps them fresh and firm," adds LaPreste.Clamming is still a robust business in town, worth up to $14 million annually. Despite all-weather digging, the whims of a clam's lifecycle (it
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