When fellow clam diggers asked Wiscasset Shellfish Committee Chairman Donald James if they could work fewer hours seeding clams and doing other conservation work each year, he didn't see a problem with it.

The seeding would still get done, as some people put in well more than their required 20 hours of conservation work per year, James said. He does over 100 hours.

Dropping to a 12-hour requirement has several pluses, James said. It would get Wiscasset more in line with what other towns require for a digging license; it would also help diggers who maintain licenses in more than one town, he added. And he wouldn't have as many conservation hours to keep track of, for the various diggers.

In addition to seeding, conservation time can include working on other projects and attending meetings.

Following through on the diggers' request, James is proposing a change in the town's shellfish conservation ordinance. Wiscasset voters will consider it June 11.

The cut in hours needed for a license is the only proposed change in the ordinance's language, James said.

He is not aware of any opposition to the change, he said.

The ordinance protects Wiscasset's shellfish resources by limiting the number of harvesters, when and where they dig, and how many clams they take a day.

Wiscasset gives out 12 clam-digging licenses to residents and two to non-residents each year, James said.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.