What's the Biggest Quahog Ever Caught in Rhode Island? Here's Its Story

There’s nothing more quintessentially Rhode Island than a quahog.

At least that’s what the Coventry Junior High Shell Club claimed in 1987, when it lobbied (successfully) to be named the State Shell.

Its importance to the region predates statehood and European settlers, with Rhode Island founder Roger Williams first translating the Narragansett word “poquauhock” as “horse fish.” This name was later shortened to “quahog”.

Quahoggers hold a vital place in Rhode Island culture, as their catches were used to prepare chowders and stuffings.

American clams: What is a clam? A quick guide to Rhode Island’s iconic clam.

Which means it was probably only a matter of time before someone asked a question like this about the beloved quahog.

“What is the largest clam ever caught in Rhode Island?” “” wrote a reader of What and Why of RI asking.

The largest quahog in Rhode Island

According to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the largest locally caught clam was discovered four years ago.

Cooper Monaco, then 11, of Wakefield, was quahog riding in Weekapaug with his family when he hit what he thought was a rock.

It turned out to be a very large quahog.

When Cooper showed it to his mother, Sherrie, he said, “I’m going to be in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records,'” she told the Providence Journal in a 2020 interview.

She said: “At first I thought it couldn’t be a clam. It’s remarkable. The others weren’t even half the size.

The largest quahog in RI: Boy Digs Up Biggest Ever Found, Then Gives It Away

The clam, nicknamed Little Rhody, measured 5.75 inches in diameter and weighed 2 pounds, 7.75 ounces.

For comparison, most quahogs measure between 2.8 and 4.3 inches in diameter, according to NOAA.

How old was the clam?

When it was captured, the clam raised some questions, and the best place to try to answer them was the URI Marine Science Research Center.

The main one: How old was the clam?

Age may not be the first question that comes to mind, but there was a reason to ask. Another clam, Ming, found off the coast of Iceland in 2006, was estimated to be about 500 years old. Ming died shortly after being arrested by researchers.

The clam was similar in size and is considered the world’s oldest animal, although this excludes primitive metazoans such as jellyfish.

Little Rhody, however, proved difficult to age.

“A few people tried to determine the age of the clam, but none were sure and estimates varied widely,” Ed Baker, director of the URI Marine Science Research Facility, wrote in an email.

To answer your next question – Little Rhody is no longer at URI.

“The colossal clam went back to where it came from,” Baker said.

Jack Perry contributed to this report.

What and Why RI is a recurring feature in the Providence Journal designed to explore our readers’ curiosity. If you have a question about Rhode Island, big or small, email it to [email protected]. She likes good questions.