This week's razor-clam dig is on

OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) today finalized a razor-clam dig for this weekend at three Washington beaches. The openings are all on morning low tides. They are:

• Friday, April 16, (8:32 A.M., -0.7) Long Beach and Twin Harbors only

• Saturday, April 17, (9:12 A.M., -0.7) Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Kalaloch only
• Sunday, April 18, (9:56 A.M., -0.6) Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Kalaloch only

No digging will be allowed after noon at any of the beaches. Under WDFW rules, harvesters may take no more than 15 razor clams and must keep the first 15 taken, regardless of size or condition. Each digger's limit must be kept in a separate container.

All diggers 15 years or older must have an applicable 2010-11 fishing license to dig razor clams on any beach. Anglers can buy a combination license or an annual shellfish/seaweed license. Also available are razor-clam only licenses in annual or three-day only versions. Descriptions of the various licensing options are available on the WDFW website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.

Licenses can be purchased on-line or at any of the approximately 600 vendors who sell recreational licenses. A list of vendors is at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/vendors.

Dan Ayres, WDFW's coastal shellfish manager, reminds diggers that portions of the beach at Long Beach and Twin Harbors are closed to the public to protect nesting western snowy plovers, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The closed portion at each beach includes the area above the mean high tide line. At Long Beach, the closed areas are located north of the Oysterville Road from the state park boundary north to Leadbetter Point. At Twin Harbors, the closed areas are located from just south of Midway Beach Road to the first beach-access trail at Grayland Beach State Park. Clam diggers are reminded that the entire northern section of Long Beach is closed to all driving starting at noon each day during this razor clam opener.

"Signs clearly mark the area and instruct people to stay on the hard-packed sand," Ayres said.

Prospective clammers who live north of Lacey should be warned that overnight and weekend repairs to Interstate 5 will make it considerably more difficult to get to and from Washington's coast. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced that repairs to the highway between Lacey and Tacoma will close north and soundbound lanes between now and September, resulting in traffic backups that could stretch for miles.

WDFW also has tentatively scheduled a dig for the following dates and beaches. A final decision on the dig will be based on the results of tests for toxins to determine if the clams are safe to eat.

• Tuesday April 27, 6:21 a.m., -1.0: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only

• Wednesday, April 28, 7:06 a.m., -1.4: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only
• Thursday, April 29, 7:50 a.m., -1.6: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only
• Friday, April 30, 8:32 a.m., -1.5: Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks
• Saturday May 1, 9:15 a.m., -1.0 : Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks and Kalaloch
• Sunday, May 2, 9:58 a.m., -0.7: Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks and Kalaloch

The National Park Service scheduled the dig at Kalaloch Beach, which is located within the Olympic National Park, to coincide with those at other coastal beaches.