There are plenty of ways to dig for quahogs — use your toes, hands, or rakes — and no way is any more correct than the other.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Wareham Harbormaster's Department held a quahog-digging class at Sunset Cove in Onset on Monday. The nonprofit Coalition focuses on protecting Buzzards Bay through education, research, and advocacy.

People of varying skill levels turned up for the class, from locals who have been digging the tasty treats since childhood, to people who wouldn't know a quahog from a scallop.

Margo Connolly, senior educator of the Buzzards Bay Coalition, posed the question: "Does anyone here know what a quahog looks like?"

"Only stuffed," one woman quipped.

There was an array of quahogging equipment, including metal baskets and basket rakes of various sizes.

Wareham Harbormaster Garry Buckminster explained that the smaller rakes are for recreational use, and the larger ones — and they are considerably larger — are used by commercial quahoggers, and are a probably a bit too much for a weekend clam warrior to handle.

"You don't want to arm wrestle a quahogger," Buckminster said, noting that they get quite the workout in their line of work.

Christine Gomes-Andrews grew up in Wareham, and has been pulling fresh food from the local waters since she was a little kid.

"I grew up doing it, but I wanted to learn a new technique," she explained, noting that she's always used her hands to dig.

After trying a rake, she said she still prefers to use her hands.

"You gotta get in there and dig," she noted.

The class was part of the Coalition's educational initiative.

"Our goal is to get people outside and exploring and enjoying where they live," Connolly said.

Connolly says that she'll use a rake sometimes when digging, but for the most part, she prefers the hands-on approach: "I've had the most success with my hands in a bathing suit."

While the populations of some species of shellfish in the area have dwindled, quahogs are a hardy bivalve and there are plenty in the waters of Wareham.

"They're not as fished out as some of the other items," Buckminster said.

If you want to dig, you'll need a recreational shellfishing license. Stop by the Harbormaster Department in the Multi-Service Center to get one, and click here to read the regulations.