May 1, 2009
Contact: Dan Ayres, (360) 249-4628
Weekend razor clam dig
proposed on four ocean beaches
OLYMPIA - Razor clam enthusiasts may get two more days of digging this season, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
If marine toxin tests are favorable, Long Beach and Twin Harbors will open May 9-10, while Copalis and Mocrocks will open May 9 only. Kalaloch Beach remains closed.
Final word will be announced once test results show whether the clams are safe to eat.
The following digs are tentatively scheduled on morning tides, with no digging allowed after noon:
Saturday, May 9 (7:23 a.m. -1.2 ft.) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks
Sunday, May 10 (8:02 a.m. -1.2 ft.) Long Beach, Twin Harbors
Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, said WDFW was able to offer one more dig because there are sufficient clams remaining in the total allowable catch for those beaches.
Under WDFW rules, harvesters may take no more than 15 razor clams and must keep the first 15 taken, regardless of size or condition. Each digger's limit must be kept in a separate container. All diggers must have an applicable 2009-10 fishing license to dig razor clams on any beach. A license is required for anyone age 15 or older.
Anglers can buy a combination license or an annual shellfish/seaweed license. Also available are razor-clam only licenses in annual or three-day only versions. Descriptions of the various licensing options are available on the WDFW website at
http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov . A list of state license vendors is available at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/lic/vendors/vendors.htm .
Ayres reminded diggers that portions of the beach at Long Beach and Twin Harbors are closed to the public to protect nesting western snowy plovers, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
At Long Beach, the closed area is located north of the Oysterville Road from the state park boundary north to Leadbetter Point. At Twin Harbors, the closed area is located from just south of Midway Beach Road to the first beach-access trail at Grayland Beach State Park. The closed portion at each beach includes the area beyond the mean high tide line.
"Signs clearly mark the area and instruct people to stay on the hard-packed sand," Ayres said.
