Three beaches to open for razor clams

OLYMPIA — Six days of razor clam digging on the central Washington coast are are scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Digging will be allowed Tuesday through Feb. 9 at Copalis Beach and Tuesday through Feb. 12 at Twin Harbors and Mocrocks.

Low tides will be -0.1 feet at 3:53 p.m. Tuesday, -0.6 feet at 4:46 p.m. Wednesday, -0.9 feet at 5:33 p.m. Feb. 9, -1.0 feet at 6:16 p.m. Feb. 10, -0.8 feet at 6:57 p.m. Feb. 11 and -0.5 feet at 7:34 p.m. Feb. 12.

This is the first dig at Twin Harbors since late November when domoic acid levels spiked, said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Toxin levels have been dropping over the last several weeks at Twin Harbors and now meet public health standards,’’ Ayres said.

Long Beach remains closed to razor clam digging due to elevated levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring marine toxin caused by certain types of algae.

A final approval of the six days of digging will be announced once testing indicates the clams are safe to eat.

The three beaches also tentatively are scheduled to be open Feb. 24 though 26.