The last razor clam digs of the season have been approved by state shellfish managers after marine toxin tests showed the clams were safe to eat.
Mocrocks on the North Beach will be open for digging for four days, April 19-22, joined by Long Beach and Twin Harbors, south of Grays Harbor, during the weekend of April 21-22. Copalis will be open only on Saturday, April 21.
“Since this is likely the last dig of the spring season, we expect a good turnout,” said Dan Ayres, Department of Fish and Wildlife coastal shellfish manager. The upcoming dig is approved on the following beaches, dates and morning low tides:
• April 19, 9:46 a.m.; -0.9 feet; Mocrocks
• April 20, Friday, 10:37 a.m.; -0.7 feet; Mocrocks
• April 21, Saturday, 11:34 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, Copalis (digging hours extended to 1 p.m.)
• April 22, Sunday, 12:38 p.m.; -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging hours extended to 2 p.m.)
Under state law, diggers can take 15 razor clams per day and are required to keep the first 15 they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.
All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2018-19 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on WDFW’s website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.
During the dig, state wildlife managers urge clam diggers to avoid disturbing snowy plovers and streaked horned larks. Both species nest in the soft, dry sand on the southern section of Twin Harbors beach and at Leadbetter Point on the Long Beach Peninsula. The snowy plover is a small bird with gray wings and a white breast. The lark is a small bird with a pale yellow breast and brown back. Male larks have a black mask, breast band and “horns.”
To protect these birds, the department asks that clam diggers avoid the dunes and areas of the beach with soft, dry sand. When driving to a clam-digging area, diggers should enter the beach only at designated access points and stay on the hard-packed sand near or below the high-tide line.
