In addition to finfish,
we gathered and processed a variety of shellfish in Húy̓at including Dungeness crabs, cockles, clams, and mussels. In recent times, we ate clams fresh but also jarred them to be eaten later. We gathered clams on the many productive beaches along northern Hunter Island, including those beaches that we manufactured and managed
(“clam gardens”).
Judging from the number of shells in the archaeological sites around Húy̓at, we can assume that shellfish has always been an important part of our diets.
"The regular Dungeness crabs. But we made our own little traps... there was no really manufactured crab traps yet. So we would make our own with nets. We get a hoop and weigh it down with rocks. It's a small little tree hooped, tied, weighed down with rocks, and put the netting across it and sink it."
- Randy Carpenter
