Site Description: Clam Shoal is a long, narrow, natural shoal of sand and shell located in Pamlico Sound, west of Frisco, on Hatteras Island. There is hardly a place on Clam Shoal above two feet in elevation and greater than 40 feet in width. This remote, emergent shoal is shaped by wind and water from storms, but through the years it has endured and remained an important site for a variety of birds during breeding, migration and winter.

Habitats: bare sand and shell

Land Use: wildlife conservation, hunting

Primary Threats: flooding during storm tides, disturbance to nesting birds

Protection Status: The site is not under the jurisdiction of a management agency/organization. Because of the remote location of this island, formal protection measures are not employed.

Conservation Issues: Clam shoal is a very low island and is subject to flooding during storm events. The island receives very few visitors during the breeding season, but disturbance remains a concern.  One person walking the length of the shoal could cause significant disturbance to nesting birds.

Birds: Clam Shoal has long been a nesting site for colonial seabirds. In addition to royal and common terns, the shoal is a nesting site for Forster's terns, Black Skimmers and sandwich terns during most seasons. The shoal is surrounded by shallow water and seagrass flats often used by migratory and wintering waterfowl.  Shorebirds can be abundant during migration and winter.