State shellfish managers have approved a morning razor clam dig that will run Tuesday-April 14 at Twin Harbors beach and April 12-14 at Long Beach, Copalis, and Mocrocks beaches.
No digging will be allowed at any beach after noon.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin test showed the clams are safe to eat on those beaches.
The dates, along with morning low tides, are:
- Tuesday: 6:39 a.m., 0.0 feet, Twin Harbors
- Wednesday: 7:19 a.m., -0.3 feet, Twin Harbors
- April 11: 7:57 a.m., -0.4 feet, Twin Harbors
- April 12: 8:34 a.m., -0.4 feet, Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
- April 13: 9:11 a.m., -0.2, feet, Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
- April 14: 9:49 a.m., +0.1, feet, Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
Kalaloch will not open this season.
By law, clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.
“We take those rules seriously,” said Capt. Dan Brinson of WDFW’s enforcement program. “We encounter some harvesters during virtually every dig setting aside small or broken clams in the hope of finding larger ones to take home. That’s a waste of the resource and violators will be cited.”
Potential penalties for violating the rule range up to a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail, he said.
Brinson also reminds diggers that all diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2013-14 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach, noting that licenses effective for 2012-13 expired at midnight March 31. Licenses are available online, by toll free phone at 866-320-9933 and from license dealers around the state.
