Next razor-clam dig starts Feb. 17

OLYMPIA - Clam diggers have a green light to proceed with an evening razor-clam dig that starts Thursday, Feb. 17 at Twin Harbors and expands to four other ocean beaches the over the next two days.

Twin Harbors, which has the highest number of clams available for harvest, will be open for digging Feb. 17-19. The four other beaches - Copalis, Mocrocks, Long Beach and Kalaloch - will be open for two days of digging, Feb. 18-19.

No digging will be allowed before noon on any of the five razor-clam beaches.

Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), recommends that diggers arrive at the beach about an hour before low tide for the biggest clams.

Evening low tides during the upcoming dig will be at 5:53 p.m. (-0.9 feet) Feb. 17, 6:33 p.m. (-0.9 feet) Feb. 18, and 7:13 p.m. (-0.5 feet) Feb. 19.

The National Park Service scheduled the dig at Kalaloch Beach, which is located within the Olympic National Park (ONP), to coincide with those at the other beaches. ONP Superintendent Karen Gustin also recommends that diggers take safety precautions during night digs, especially at Kalaloch.

"Kalaloch is considerably more remote than the other clamming beaches, and visitors should be prepared for primitive conditions," she said. "With no streetlights or lighted buildings in the area, flashlights or lanterns are a necessity."

All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2010-11 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.

Areas opening for digging those days are defined as follows:

• Long Beach which extends from the Columbia River to Leadbetter Point.

• Twin Harbors Beach, which extends from the mouth of Willapa Bay north to the south jetty at the mouth of Grays Harbor.
• Copalis Beach, which extends from the Grays Harbor north jetty to the Copalis River, and includes the Copalis, Ocean Shores, Oyhut, Ocean City and Copalis areas.
• Mocrocks Beach, which extends from the Copalis River to the southern boundary of the Quinault Reservation near the Moclips River, including Iron Springs, Roosevelt Beach, Pacific Beach and Moclips.
• Kalaloch Beach, which extends from the South Beach Campground to Brown's Point (just south of Beach Trail 3) in the Olympic National Park.