Good Weather Will Boost Clam Diggers
By Jeffrey P. Mayor, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
Nov. 22–The second razor clam dig of the fall season will open Friday on evening tides at four beaches.
Evening digs are scheduled at Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks on Friday and Saturday. Twin Harbors will stay open Sunday and Monday.
Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said he expects plenty of diggers to hit the beaches this weekend.
“Holidays are a popular time for people to go clam digging,” he said. “We do expect a larger crowd than might normally come out in November. And the weather report is looking favorable, so that will also mean more diggers.”
Digging will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight each day. The best time to start digging is an hour or two before low tide. Because the low tides are in the evening, Ayres recommends taking a lantern along.
Tide times: Friday, 5:21 p.m., -1.3 feet; Saturday, 6:11 p.m., -1.7 feet; Sunday, 7 p.m., -1.8 feet; and Monday, 7:48 p.m., -1.6 feet.
Kalaloch: This beach, in Olympic National Park, will remain closed throughout the 2007-08 season because of the low clam population.
Weather: The forecast early in the week called for partly to mostly cloudy skies Friday and Saturday, with a chance of rain Sunday and Monday. Daytime highs will be near 50. The ocean forecast calls for wind waves of 1 to 3 feet, with swells at six feet Friday afternoon.
Limits: Diggers can keep no more than 15 razor clams. You must keep the first 15 you dig, regardless of size or condition. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.
License: Diggers 15 or older must have a license. Any 2007 annual shellfish/seaweed license or combination license is still valid. Another option is a razor clam-only license available in annual or three-day versions. Descriptions of the various licensing options are available at fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. Diggers are no longer required to display their licenses on outer clothing.
Acid levels: Before each dig can proceed, clams are tested for domoic acid. Digs are canceled when levels reach 20 parts per million. Here are the domoic acid levels for the beaches that will be open: Copalis and Mocrocks, 0 ppm; and Long Beach and Twin Harbors, less than 1 ppm.
First dig results: In October there were 36,000 digger trips, with an average catch of 15 clams thanks to excellent digging conditions. The total harvest was 541,000 clams, including the estimate of wastage.
Information: You can get more details on this weekend’s dig at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/razorclm/season.htm. Domoic acid information is reported at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/razorclm/levels/levels.htm.
BEACH AREAS
Long Beach: From the Columbia River to Leadbetter Point.
Twin Harbors Beach: From the mouth of Willapa Bay north to the mouth of Grays Harbor.
Copalis Beach: From the Grays Harbor North Jetty to the Copalis River. This area includes beaches near Copalis, Ocean Shores, Oyhut and Ocean City.
Mocrocks Beach: From the Copalis River to the southern boundary of the Quinault Reservation near the Moclips River. This area includes Iron Springs, Roosevelt Beach, Pacific Beach and Moclips.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
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