What's the largest quahog ever caught in Rhode Island? Here's the story

There’s nothing more Rhode Island than a quahog.

At least, that’s what the Coventry Junior High Shell Club argued in 1987, when they lobbied (successfully) for it 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.” That name was later shortened to "quahog."

Quahoggers have held a quintessential place in Rhode Island culture, as their catches were used to make chowders and stuffies.

Quahogs:What's a quahog? 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 one about the beloved quahog.

“What’s the biggest quahog ever caught in Rhode Island?” a What and Why RI reader wrote in asking.

Rhode Island’s biggest quahog

According to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the biggest quahog caught locally was found four years ago.

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

It turned out to be a wicked big 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 was thinking that couldn't possibly be a clam. It’s remarkable. The others weren’t even half the size.”

The largest RI quahog:Boy digs up biggest one ever found, then gives it away

The clam, nicknamed Little Rhody, came in at 5.75 inches across and weighed 2 pounds, 7.75 ounces.

For perspective, most quahogs are somewhere between 2.8 and 4.3 inches across, according to NOAA.

How old was the clam?

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

The main one: How old was the clam?

Age maybe isn’t the first question that comes to mind, but there was a reason for asking. Another clam, Ming, found off the coast of Iceland in 2006, was estimated to be about 500 years old. Ming died shortly after being caught by researchers.

The clam was of a similar size and is thought to be the world’s oldest animal, though that excludes primitive metazoans such as jellyfish.

Little Rhody, though, proved difficult to age.

“A few folks tried to age the clam, but none were confident and estimates were wide ranging,” URI Marine Science Research Facility manager Ed Baker 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 reoccuring feature by The Providence Journal to explore our readers' curiosity. If you have a question about Rhode Island, big or small, email it to klandeck@gannett.com. She loves a good question.