After a quahogging excursion with the Buzzards Bay Coalition, we've rounded up the must-know facts about quahogs.

1. Quahog is pronounced coe-hog.

2. Little necks, cherrystones, and quahogs are all the same thing, but the nicknames for the hard clam reference the quahog’s size.

3. If you're using a rake to dig up quahogs, as opposed to finding them with your feet, be aware that the tines are sharp. The Buzzards Bay Coalition's Cassie Lawson recommends resting the tines facedown as well as carrying them facedown to avoid accidents.

4. Quahogging season is open all year, but requires a permit from Town Hall. For Dartmouth residents, a recreational permit costs $25. For a non-resident, recreational permits cost $75 each.

5. Quahogs must be bigger than an inch at the base for you to legally pull them out of the seabed. An easy way to measure this is with a one-inch gauge. Lawson suggests a three-way clam gauge if you're a gong-ho shellfisherman.

6.  The daily limit for the quantity of quahogs you harvest recreationally is one peck (1/4 bushel). The weekly limit for recreational quahogging is 1/2 bushel.

7. You can strap a noodle to your peck basket so that it floats beside you in the water.

8. Quahogs can live to 25-30 years. The shellfish has growth rings, so you can count its age.

9. Quahogs eat plankton, and live buried a few inches below the seabed.

10. Harbormaster and Shellfish Constable Steve Melo doesn't include shellfishing as one of his hobbies.

11. Melo said he is always checking for permits and reinforcing shellfishing rules through fines. "We want to make sure people aren't taking more than their manageable share," he said.

12. The Buzzards Bay Coalition took locals quahogging south of the Padanaram Bridge, by Smith Neck Road. However, if you're looking for a quick meal, the Gulf Hill Bucket sells stuffed quahogs on the north side of Gulf Road.

13. Quahogging is a family-friendly activity.