Steamer Clams

[Afraiman]

I've been out clamming a few times this year and again this past weekend. I seem to have problems keeping them alive for the 2-3 hour drive home or if we hang out at the beach longer. I've tried keeping them in sea water and bringing putting them on ice, both times when I get home their tongues/foot/syphon  are hanging out an un responsive to the touch, meaning their dead and not supposed to be eaten. Any tips?

Of the few times I've gotten them home, after steaming them open, breaking them down the belly's have green, what I assume is algae, in their belly's, do you have to clean this out or can you leave it when making chowder or fried clams?

[Twispriver]

I'm not sure if you're talking about steamer clams which, to me, are small size butter clams or manilla clams that are steamed open and eaten whole or butter clams of a larger size that you would use for fried clams, chowder or cook on the half shell.
I'm my experience clams don't tolerate hot weather or being left in a hot car very well at all so I usually just forego the steamers during the summer months and clean the butter clams right at the beach and pack them in ice - I always clean out the stomach contents before cooking

[Katmai Guy]

When leaving them in a bucket of water they suffocate because they end up using all the oxygen. Put them in a mesh bag and put them on Ice in a cooler with the drain open so the water drains out so they're not setting in freshwater but are still staying cold.  They will stay closed till you cook them.  They can be left in the fridge a couple of days when not in water. 
  If you're staying at the beach or dig them in the morning and don't head home till later, you can rinse them then put water in the bucket with them and change it out every hour to allow them to open and let the sand clean out of them then empty the water, put on ice and head home.

[sled]

Use a fish tank air pump in a bucket of salt water.  They will live for three days easy in the shade summer temps.  If not one day easy in saltwater then put on ice for several days.  No *censored*.😉