Razor clam diggers can expect another robust season on four coastal beaches with 56 tentative dates set from Sept. 22 through Dec. 28 Leave a reply

Sep 09, 2022 by Mark Yuasa
Razor clam diggers last spring look for razor clam “shows” at Moclips Beach. Digging should be excellent this fall and winter if marine toxin levels stay below the health guidelines.

Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW

Coastal razor clam enthusiasts will dig this delightful news!

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) finished summer evaluations and four coastal beaches have a relatively dense population of razor clams sitting beneath the sand.

“If it wasn’t for the record season in 2021-2022 then the upcoming season would be one of the best,” said Dan Ayres, a WDFW coastal shellfish manager. “We still have more than enough clams to offer a similar season structure to we did last season.”

The first series of tentative digs from Sept. 22-26 will occur during morning (AM) low tides, and then the remainder including Sept. 27-30 will switch to afternoon/evening (PM) low tides.

Final approval of marine toxin testing usually occurs about a week or less prior to the start of each digging series. Marine toxins have been elevated but remain below the Washington Department of Health guidelines. It will be particularly important for harvesters to check the WDFW website, before heading to the beach at https://wdfw.wa.gov/.

On all open beaches – Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, and Copalis – the daily limit is 15 clams per person. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container, and all diggers must keep the first 15 clams they dug, regardless of size or condition.

Most successful digging occurs between one and two hours before the listed time of low tide.

WDFW shellfish managers are confident they can stay within our harvest guidelines using the maximum variable harvest rate on all beaches, which is great news.

Long Beach from the Columbia River north to the mouth of the Willapa Bay has a healthy 14.7-million recruit-size razor clams with a total allowable catch (TAC) of 5.9-million razor clams for the 2022-2023 season. It is down from the near record 21.6-million recruits and a TAC of 8.7-million razor clams for the 2021-2022 season. The 2021-22 recreational harvest was 3.3-million razor clams. The historical average at Long Beach over the past 26 years is 7.9-million recruits.

Twin Harbors beaches from Willapa Bay north to the south jetty at the mouth of Grays Harbor has 5.6-milllion razor clams with a TAC of 2.3-million razor clams for 2022-2023, down from last season’s 8.6-million recruits and a TAC of 3.4-million razor clams. The 2021-2022 recreational harvest was 2.1-million razor clams.

At Copalis Beach from the north jetty at the mouth of Grays Harbor to the Copalis River, the recruit-size total is 14.4-million razor clams with a TAC state share of 2.9-million razor clams, slightly down from 16.5-million recruits and a state TAC share of 3.3-million razor clams. The 2021-22 recreational harvest was 1.7-million razor clams.

At Mocrocks beaches from the Copalis River to the south boundary of the Quinault Indian Reservation, the recruit-size total is 9.82-milllion razor clams with a TAC state share of 1.96-million razor clams, which mirrors 9.84 million recruits and a TAC of 1.96 million in 2021-2022.  The 2021-22 recreational harvest was 1.2 million razor clams.

Kalaloch from the South Beach campground north to Olympic National Park Beach Trail 3, is the one beach that still has very depressed populations of harvestable clams and will remain closed to digging in 2022-2023.

Razor clam seasons are a benefit for the local economy

Razor clam digging is a good shot in the arm for small coastal communities who rely on these opportunities during the lean tourist times in autumn, winter, and spring to help boost their economy.

During the 2021-2022 season the total value was a record $71.7 million for 119 digging dates with 484,426 digger trips. Nothing has come close to that figure since economic data was tallied during the 1997-1998 season.

The runner-up occurred during the 2013-2014 season where the total value was $40.9 million for 105 digging dates with 451,046 digger trips.

The 10-year average is $27.5 million for 61 digging dates with 296,731 digger trips, and the 20-year average is $25.4 million for 47 digging dates with 276,655 digger trips.

A batch of razor clams await to be cleaned after a successful outing at Copalis Beach.

Marine toxin level update

A marine toxin known as domoic acid – a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae –can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in enough quantities and is the wildcard when it comes to approving each series of digs.

During late summer marine toxin levels have been jumping all over the map and it will be particularly important for harvesters to check the WDFW website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/, before heading to the beach.

The Department of Health (DOH) Labs receives razor clam samples from WDFW regularly to test for marine toxins, and the action level to close a beach is anything above 20 parts per million (ppm).

Latest tests from the DOH from Long Beach were 5 to 6 ppm; Twin Harbors, 5 to 8 ppm; Mocrocks, 11 to 15 ppm; and Copalis, 7 to 15 ppm.

The 2021-2022 season was unaffected by any marine toxin closures, but the 2020-2021 season was closed most of the time due to an extended toxin outbreak.

Final approval of each digging series is dependent on weekly marine toxin testing and usually decided one to two weeks prior to each series of digs.

How the 2021-2022 razor clam season fared

At Long Beach, recreational diggers took home 3.3-million razor clams, which is highest harvest in the last 30 years. The runner-up was 2016-2017 season when 2.7-million razor clams were dug.

At Twin Harbors, diggers harvested a whopping 2.1-million razor clams and was also the highest seen in the past three decades. The closest by a long shot was the 2013-2014 season when 1.7-million razor clams were taken home.

On the northern beaches, the Copalis state share taken last season was 1.7-million razor clams, and the closest occurred in the 2004-2005 season when 1.59-million razor clams were dug.

At Mocrocks, 1.2-million razor clams were dug and mirrored the 1.2-million razor clams taken in the 2018-2019 season.

Tentative digging dates

A.M. LOW TIDES ONLY:

Sept. 22, Thursday, 5:03 a.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Sept. 23, Friday, 5:41 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Sept. 24, Saturday, 6:15 a.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Sept. 25, Sunday, 6:48 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Sept. 26, Monday, 7:19 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

P.M. LOW TIDES ONLY:

Sept. 27, Tuesday, 8:24 p.m.; minus-0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Sept. 28, Wednesday, 9:06 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Sept. 29, Thursday, 9:51 p.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Sept. 30, Friday, 10:43 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Oct. 8, Saturday, 6:21 p.m.; 0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Oct. 9, Sunday, 7:05 p.m.; -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Oct. 10, Monday, 7:46 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Oct. 11, Tuesday, 8:26 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Oct. 12, Wednesday, 9:06 p.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Oct. 13, Thursday, 9:46 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Oct. 14, Friday, 10:29 p.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Oct. 24, Monday, 6:44 p.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Oct. 25, Tuesday, 7:24 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Oct. 26, Wednesday, 8:05 p.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Oct. 27, Thursday, 8:48 p.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Oct. 28, Friday, 9:35 p.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Oct. 29, Saturday, 10:28 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Oct. 30, Sunday, 11:27 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Nov. 6, Sunday, 5:08 p.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Nov. 7, Monday, 5:49 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Nov. 8, Tuesday, 6:28 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Nov. 9, Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Nov. 10, Thursday, 7:42 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Nov. 11, Friday, 8:19 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis (Veterans Day)

Nov. 12, Saturday, 8:59 p.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Nov. 13, Sunday, 9:43 p.m.; 0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Nov. 22, Tuesday, 5:22 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Nov. 23, Wednesday, 6:04 p.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Nov. 24, Thursday, 6:48 p.m.; -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis (Thanksgiving Day)

Nov. 25, Friday, 7:35 p.m.; -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Nov. 26, Saturday, 8:23 p.m.; -1.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Nov. 27, Sunday, 9:15 p.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Nov. 28, Monday, 10:10 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 4, Sunday, 4:09 p.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 5, Monday, 4:53 p.m.; -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 6, Tuesday, 5:33 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 7, Wednesday, 6:11 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 8, Thursday, 6:47 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 9, Friday, 7:23 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 10, Saturday, 7:59 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 11, Sunday, 8:35 p.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 12, Monday, 9:13 p.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 20, Tuesday, 4:14 p.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 21, Wednesday, 5:02 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 22, Thursday, 5:48 p.m.; -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 23, Friday, 6:35 p.m.; -1.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 24, Saturday, 7:23 p.m.; -1.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 25, Sunday, 8:10 p.m.; -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis (Christmas Day)

Dec. 26, Monday, 8:58 p.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 27, Tuesday, 9:47 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 28, Wednesday, 10:37 p.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Diggers search for razor clams as the sun drops over the weatern horizon off Moclips Beach.

The 2022-23 Razor Clam Management Plan can be found at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/razor-clams#management. Comments on the plan may be sent to: razorclams@dfw.wa.gov. For more information, go to the WDFW’s razor clam webpage at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/razor-clams.

(Mark Yuasa is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Communications Manager and longtime contributor to ESPN 710 KIRO The Outdoor Line. He also was the fishing and hunting reporter at The Seattle Times for 28 years.)

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