Clams

[Bolete]

I see freshwater clams in many of my fishing holes. Are these edible? Anyone here ever tried them?

[HunterDave]

No, they aren't. They filter the toxins from the water and you stand a good chance of getting really sick from them.

[bsmitty27]

I ate them a few times from clean water in northern Ontario. Like a muscle but tougher. They are a filter, just like their salt water cousins. Do you know where your salt water clams come from? How far from sewer outlets?
Cook thoroughly. From what I've read bacteria seems to be more of a concern than chemical contaminents.
Enjoy!
Brad

[Ronbill]

HunterDave provides good advice on the matter. Many lakes support freshwater mussel (not actually clams) populations but you should not consume them.
Mussels filter feed rather indiscriminately and ingest whatever planktonic algae exist in the water column. Mussels from low nutrient lakes feed primarily on harmless algae and likely wouldn't make you sick.
However, mussels from higher nutrient lakes with planktonic algae dominated by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are another matter.
Cyanobacterial toxins can accumulate to a small extent. More importantly though, the mussels actually don't digest most cyanobacteria and rather compact the healthy cyanobacteria cells/colonies into pseudofeces that are excreted. When consuming mussels collected from cyanobateria impacted lakes, you are also likely to consume the cyanobacteria in the gut of the mussels and the toxins contained within. The liver toxin, microcystin, that is commonly produced in Alberta Lakes is stable to heat and will not degrade or breakdown with boiling.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by bsmitty27

Do you know where your salt water clams come from? How far from sewer outlets?
Cook thoroughly. From what I've read bacteria seems to be more of a concern than chemical contaminents.
Enjoy!
Brad

The harvest of saltwater clams is strictly regulated by DFO and monitored by CFIA.
Who's testing your freshwater clams??As posted,thorough cooking won't protect you from paralytic shellfish poisoning(PSP).

[greylynx]

I know farmers who ate them from the Pembina River.

They would soak the clams (mot mussels) in a pail of water and have them clean out their excurrent siphons.

Then they would boil them.

I was told they were like eating a rubber ball after boiling.

They made a good protein additive for chickens and pigs.