Chapter 3.21
3.21. Nutall cockle
Solana Jimenez, University of Guelph, Canada
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Suggested citation for this chapter.
Jimenez,S. (2022) Fish And Freshwater/Marine Invertebrates. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction
The Nuttall's cockle is one of the native shellfish here in Canada that has been harvested by Indigenous peoples for decades. The Nuttall’s cockle has many nutritional and historical significance to the Indigenous peoples and was used in a variety of ways. The purpose of this encyclopedia is to educate Canadians and non-Indigenous peoples, about its history and the potential it can offer today
Species Information
The Nuttall’s cockle is a shellfish similar to that of a clam. This species has a thick shell and is as tall as it is long (Fretwell and Starzomski, 2014). It has 34-38 strong ribs, can reach up to 14 cm in length and has a heart-shaped shell which it’s known by (Fretwell and Starzomski, 2014). The shell is typically tan with brown spots or bands and the shell valves are marked by wavy brown lines (Fretwell and Starzomski, 2014). Nuttall cockles also have a foot called a pointer because it continues to move until it is eaten (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). In Canada, most species of cockle are found in the Pacific Ocean along the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island (Government of Canada, 2018). Cockles prefer habitats with soft mud and sand in subtidal areas (Macleod, 2009). They commonly live in sand flats and beds of eelgrass, while favouring to live in sediments that are larger in size (Macleod, 2009). There are various types of cockles such as; the yellow cockle and, the great heart cockle (sand dollar shelling, N/A). Most other cockle species are smaller in size and can be differentiated by the colours and shapes of their shells (sand dollar shelling, N/A).
Historical Background
Nuttall’s cockle is a traditional and important food for the Gitaga’at First Nations people as well as many others in Canada (Thompson and Picard, 2017). Still, it is also popular in other parts of the world like the United Kingdom. Cockles appear similar to clams because they are both bivalves but have slight differences. Cockles can be found only in saltwater and deeper parts of the ocean, whereas clams can live in fresh and saltwater (Fisherman’s net, 2022). Cockles are also typically smaller than clams, all cockles are clams but all clams are not cockles (Fisherman’s net, 2022). Cultures who lived by the west coast regularly harvested Nuttall cockles, they were seen as an essential food for lots of indigenous groups (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). Women from Figure 1.0 Cockle (Dave Cowles, July 2005) theseindigenous groups used to collect Nutall cockles from the beach on exposed rocks or dug them up from zones near low tide (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). They will lay just below the surface of the beaches and could be easily seen by their eyes protruding from the sand, especially once the tide was coming in (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). They were caught by tapping a stick in the area in the sand beside the cockle which would cause them to bite the stick and then shake them off into a basket (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). The Indigenous peoples of Port Simpson, Haida and Tlingit are said to have collected cockles seasonally however, some Tlingit and Northern Coast Salish are reported to collect them all throughout the year (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). Certain groups would give the cockles names one of them being huupisi named after the Clayoquot, the Clayoquot named their village Hupitsit because of the large amount of huupisi (cockle) on the beaches nearby (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA).
Geographic Origins
Nuttall’s cockles are found on the west Coast in intertidal/subtidal areas as far north as Alaska in the United States (Aboriginal Aquaculture Association, N/A). Cockles can withstand very severe winter conditions and could then become a great farming opportunity for the bivalve culture on British Colombia’s north coast (Aboriginal Aquaculture Association, N/A). As for regions outside of Canada the common cockle is naturally occuring and distributed along the Northeast Atlantic coast starting in Senegal in the South all the way up to Norway and Iceland in the North, typically inhabiting soft sediment regions (Hermida, M., Robledo, D., Díaz, S.et al., 2022).
Associated Indigenous Peoples
Cockles were consumed by Indigenous Peoples who livedby the west coast (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). Some of these peoples include but are not limited to; The Coast Salish, Haihais, Bella Bella, Oowekeeno, Kwakiutl, Nootka of Vancouver Island, Queen Charlotte Straight culture, Tlingit and cultures of Southwest Alaska are said to have gathered and consumed cockles for various reasons (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). West Coast cultures would often harvested nuttall cockles, known as basket cockles (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). The Tlingit people saw them as an essential food source and a great number of remains were also found in waste products found in historical sites along the Northwest coast confirming that they were consumed quite a large amount (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA).
Consumption and Uses
When eating Nutall’s Cockle it must first be cracked open before eating due to its hard outer shell. The Coast Salish as well as the SouthwesternAlaskan cultures prepared cockles much like clams and would dry them for storage and trade(Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA).The Nootka of Vancouver Island would normally eat the cockles raw, and Southwestern Alaskans also ate them in this way when other food supplies were running low(Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA).Nuttall cockles were said to have been better eaten raw as opposed to cooked because they quickly became tough with cooking(Kuhnlein and Humphries,NA). The Manhousat would never dry the cockles and if they were to be cooked they were to be removed as soon as the water started to boil to prevent over cooking(Kuhnleinand Humphries, NA).The Coast Salish would boil the Nuttall cockles in wooden boxes as well as steam and dry them(Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA). More recently, they are boiled inpots to be made into chowder, or they can be pan fried with sauce(Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA).The “foot” of the cockle was also used as bait for salmon which was cut to resemble squid, certain groups also used boiled cockles as pacifiers for babies (Kuhnlein and Humphries, NA).
Health Benefits
Cockles are not only delicious seafood that the Indigenouspeoples and many others enjoy but they are also very nutritious and supply a broad range of essential nutrients. Among many others, they are one of the most significant dietary sources of vitamin B12 (Joseph, 2021). Just 100 grams provides 52 mcg of B12 which is equal to 2188% of the recommended daily value for this vitamin (Joseph, 2021). Additionally, 100 grams of cockle also provides more than 40% of the daily value for iron, selenium, copper and vitamin B6 (Joseph, 2021). While containing all of these vital nutrients for only 79 calories cockle is exceptionally nutrient-dense without having to worry about calorie intake (Joseph, 2021). Cockles are also a very good source of protein, and this is particularly true when looking at the amount of protein per calorie (Joseph, 2021). Since cockles only contain 79 calories per 100-gram serving, this makes them very protein-dense on a per-calorie basis with them containing about 14 grams per 100-gram serving (Joseph, 2021).
References
1.Aboriginal Aquaculture Association. (n.d.). AboriginalAquaculture Association Shellfish Facts cockles. Campbell River, BC.
2.Cowles, D. (2005). Retrieved September 23, 2022,
3.Fishermen's Net. (2022, March 12).Cockles vs clams:What is the difference between them? Maine, USA. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.mualobster.com/blogs/news/difference-between-cockles-vs-clams
4.Hermida, M., Robledo, D., Díaz, S., Costas, D., Bruzos, A., Blanco, A., . . . Martínez, P. (2022, October 10).The first high-density geneticmap of common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) reveals a major qtl controlling shell color variation. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-21214-3
5.Jonathan Kauffman Jonathan Kauffman April 02, 2. (2021). Indigenous peoples have been protecting clam beaches for thousands of years-here's why it's more important than ever. Vancouver Island, BC.
6.Joseph, M. (2021, November 26).What are cockles?nutrition facts, benefits, and uses. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://www.nutritionadvance.com/cockles-nutrition/
7.Kuhnlein, H. V., & Humphries, M. M. (n.d.). Traditionalanimal foods of indigenous peoples of northern North America. McGill University,Quebec. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/marine-invertebrates/bivalves/page.aspx?id=6506
8.Macleod, A., & Macleod, M. (2009). Cockles. New Zealand.Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/148-cockles
9.Shellfish Association Great Britain. (n.d.). The nutritionaland healthy facts about shellfish cockles. Great Britain.
10.Thompson, K., Picard, C., & Chan, H. (2017, June 13).Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) in traditionally harvested bivalves in northern British Columbia, Canada.British Columbia, Canada. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17304988
11.WM, K. (2022, August 18). Everything there is to knowabout cockle shells " sand dollar shelling.Marco Island, Florida. Retrieved November12, 2022, from https://sanddollarshelling.com/seashells/everything-there-is-to-know-about-cockle-shells/