WDFW approves 7 days of razor clam digs starting Tuesday, Feb. 6

OLYMPIA — Razor clam diggers can look forward to more digging on coastal beaches beginning Tuesday, Feb. 6, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) coastal shellfish managers confirmed this week.

“This next tide series will provide us with some daylight digging days since the first few low tides occur before or just after sunset,” said Bryce Blumenthal, a WDFW coastal shellfish biologist. “That will be followed by the lowest tides of the month, so there should be plenty of opportunity to get clams on the table for the Super Bowl.”

Not all coastal beaches are open for every dig. Optimal digging occurs between one and two hours before the listed time of low tide.

The following digs during afternoon and evening low tides (noon to midnight only) will proceed as scheduled, after marine toxin results from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) showed razor clams are safe to eat:

Feb. 6, Tuesday, 3:52 p.m.; 0.0 feet; Mocrocks

Feb. 7, Wednesday, 4:41 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Feb. 8, Thursday, 5:26 p.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Feb. 9, Friday, 6:09 p.m.; -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Feb. 10, Saturday, 6:49 p.m.; -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Feb. 11, Sunday, 7:29 p.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Feb. 12, Monday, 8:08 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Copalis

On all open beaches, the daily limit is 15 clams per person. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container, and all diggers must keep the first 15 clams they dig, regardless of size or condition, to prevent waste.

All diggers 15 or older must have an applicable fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach.

Upcoming opportunities

The DOH requires test samples for marine toxins, and domoic acid levels must fall under the guideline level before a beach can open for digging.

Domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae, can be harmful or fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities.

Final approval usually occurs about a week or less — sometimes two to three days — before the start of each digging series.

More information about domoic acid, as well as current levels at ocean beaches, can be found on the WDFW’s domoic acid webpage at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/basics/domoic-acid

• Tentative dates during evening (noon to midnight only) low tides in February:

Feb. 21, Wednesday, 4:56 p.m.; 0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Feb. 22, Thursday, 5:33 p.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Feb. 23, Friday, 6:05 p.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Feb. 24, Saturday, 6:34 p.m.; 0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Feb. 25, Sunday, 7:02 p.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks

• Tentative dates during evening (noon to midnight only) low tides in March:

March 7, Thursday, 4:15 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

March 8, Friday, 5:00 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

March 9, Saturday, 5:42 p.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

March 10, Sunday, 7:22 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

March 11, Monday, 8:00 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Tentative dates during morning/early afternoon (4 a.m. to 4 p.m. only) low tides from March 12-17:

March 12, Tuesday, 8:33 a.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks

March 13, Wednesday, 9:21 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks

March 14, Thursday, 10:12 a.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks

March 15, Friday, 11:08 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Copalis (Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival)

March 16, Saturday, 12:10 p.m.; 0.5 feet; Copalis (Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival)

March 17, Sunday, 1:23 p.m.; 0.9 feet; Mocrocks (Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival)

• Tentative dates during morning (midnight to noon only) low tides in March:

March 26, Tuesday, 7:54 a.m.; 0.7 feet; Copalis

March 27, Wednesday, 8:26 a.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks

March 28, Thursday, 9:01 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

March 29, Friday, 9:39 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

March 30, Saturday, 10:23 p.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

March 31, Sunday, 11:16 a.m.; 0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Additional razor clam information is available on the WDFW razor clam webpage at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/razor-clams