The name “clam” covers a wide variety of bivalve molluscs found along Canada’s Atlantic coast. Bar clams are the largest clams found in the northwest Atlantic region, especially in the southern and western Gulf of St. Lawrence where they are commonly found on clean sandy bottoms at low tide levels. Bar clams can reach a length of 18centimetres, although the average size harvested is about 10 centimetres. Bar clams have a thick chalky shell covered with a thin, olive brown skin.