Under the provisions of Sections 26-257a and 26-291a of the State of Connecticut General Statutes, the Shellfish Commission of the Town of Stonington has adopted the following regulations concerning the taking of clams and oysters in the open and conditionally open waters of the Town of Stonington.

1.  No person shall take any clams or oysters from Town waters without having first obtained a permit issued by the Shellfish Commission or by a vendor designated by the Shellfish Commission. The person named on the permit shall carry the permit on their person while shellfishing.

2.  A yearly shellfish (clams and oysters) permit is good from March 1st in the year purchased to the last day of February in the following year. The fees are as follow:

Stonington Resident + Active Duty Military	$25.00
Non-Resident	$40.00
Stonington Resident Seniors (65 and over)	$10.00
Non-resident Seniors (65 and over)	$25.00

3.  Children 12 years old or younger are not required to have a permit if they are accompanied by an adult holding a valid Stonington shellfishing permit and the total harvest of the adult and children does not exceed the daily limit for an individual.

4.  The daily limit for recreational shellfishing with a permit shall be one-half bushel per day per person for clams and/or 30 oysters. 

5.  Shellfishing is permitted only between sunrise and sunset.

6.  The shellfishing permit and catch must be immediately available for inspection upon demand by Shellfish Commission members or designated enforcement officers of the Town of Stonington or the State of Connecticut.

7.  No hard clams shall be taken which can pass through a ring of 1.5 inch inside diameter and no soft slams less then 1.5-inch long.  Oysters must be a minimum of 3” in length.

8.  No tongs, tong rakes, or other devices with spaces or openings between the teeth or prongs of less than 1 inch shall be used for the taking of hard or soft clams.

9.  No SCUBA or free diving for oysters.

10.  Any person who violates any shellfishing regulation is subject to fine, or imprisonment, or both and the court may order that a permit not be issued for one year from the date of conviction.