David Andrade, longtime fisherman and owner of Andrade’s Catch on Wood Street, lost the lion’s share of his business when Covid-19 closed restaurants across the region. With restaurants limited to takeout, his profitable wholesale business is effectively shuttered

And that puts local fishermen out of work.

“We’re trying our absolute best to take care of our loyal quahoggers,” said Mr. Andrade. So he came up with a plan: a “dime bag” of of 24 dug-today littlenecks — the small, count neck size — sold for $10. Those sold out quickly, then they were offering slightly-larger but still small top necks for $8.

This week brought another opportunity to keep fishermen fishing, and the rest of us easting great clams at great prices.

An anonymous donor, described by Mr. Andrade as a member of this community with a love for seafood and a desire to help save the local fishing industry, has come forward to sponsor a deal: spend $24, get 24 top necks for free. This special may continue for a few weeks, with the free product changing week over week, based on what the fishermen bring in.

Another fortuitously-timed upgrade at Andrade’s is up and running, that will help him keep local fishermen fishing: a new, gleaming, board-of-health certified shucking room with a three-bay sink and freezer. Andrade’s is now officially a packing facility, and can shuck, process, and freeze “bigs” (large quahogs used for chowder and clamcakes) to sell to restaurants and producers in the region.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for 20 years,” said Mr. Andrade. “This is another opportunity to keep us going. Fishermen bring in as many as 2,000 pounds of bigs a day, and with this room I can shuck 1,000 pounds a day.

“And the board of health loved it.”

Customers interested in eating ’em for the fishermen are encouraged to call Andrade’s ahead of time at 401/253-4529, so they can pack up their order and reduce time spent in store. If anyone would like curbside pickup, let them know when you call.