§ 57-20. Hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria).

A. 

Implements or devices employed.

(1) 

No implement or device shall be used in taking hard clams except:

(a) 

Hand-operated tongs having teeth in the heads thereof spaced no less than one inch apart, measured in the clear and having a distance of not less than 3/4 inch between the bars of the basket.

(b) 

Hand-operated rakes having teeth spaced not less than one inch apart, measured in the clear.

(c) 

Baskets attached to such hand-operated rakes having bars not less than 7/8 of an inch apart, measured in the clear.

(2) 

No wire, netting or other foreign matter shall be used between the teeth or bows of such tongs or rakes.

(3) 

Possession or use of any implement or device other than described in Subsection A(1)(a), (b), (c) and (2) above shall be unlawful and shall constitute presumptive evidence of an intent to illegally take shellfish.

B. 

Size.

(1) 

No hard clams measuring less than one inch in thickness, measured at right angles to the shell hinge, shall be taken from Town-owned land. All clams taken which shall not be at least one inch in thickness shall be returned to said lands from which taken and left there. No person shall accumulate or possess more than one bushel of bay cull at any time.

(2) 

Hard clams which are not permitted to be taken pursuant to this subsection may compose not to exceed 3% per container of the total catch when unavoidably taken. Said 3% may be determined by the measurement of any container of soft clams taken from the catch.

C. 

(Reserved)