YARMOUTH, Maine (AP)   Maine’s clam harvest might be down, but the state is still ready to celebrate in honor of the shellfish.

The Yarmouth Clam Festival, a venerable celebration of Maine clams, is getting started on Friday. The festival has been around for more than 50 years and is free to the public. It includes a carnival that began on Wednesday and runs until Sunday.

The rest of the festival goes until Sunday, too. It includes food booths that are managed by local nonprofit groups. The festival expects to serve more than 6,000 pounds of clams.

Maine’s soft-shell clam harvest has been struggling in recent years. Fishermen in Maine are harvesting fewer clams, and scientists have placed the blame on increasing numbers of predators. The fishery remains one of the state’s most lucrative.