Razor clam digging returns to Washington’s coastal beaches next week

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Calling all razor clam diggers: more digging on Washington coastal beaches is set to begin on Feb. 6.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) coastal shellfish managers confirmed the news in a press release on Wednesday.

Not all coastal beaches are open for every dig, so the WDFW encourages diggers to make sure their intended destination is open first. Optimal digging times occur between one and two hours before the listed time of low tide, the WDFW said.

“This next tide series will provide us with some daylight digging days since the first few low tides occur before or just after sunset,” WDFW coastal shellfish biologist Bryce Blumenthal said in the press release. “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.”

All diggers 15 or older must have an applicable fishing license to havest clams on any beach, according to the WDFW. Those licenses can be purchased online. The daily limit is 15 clams per person on all open beaches, the WDFW said, and all diggers must keep the first 15 clams they dig, regardless of size or condition, in order to prevent waste.

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

• Feb. 6: 3:52 p.m.; 0.0 feet; Mocrocks
• Feb. 7: 4:41 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Feb. 8: 5:26 p.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Feb. 9: 6:09 p.m.; -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Feb. 10: 6:49 p.m.; -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Feb. 11: 7:29 p.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Feb. 12: 8:08 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Copalis

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

“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,” the WDFW wrote. “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.”