Procedures to Determine Intertidal Populations of Protothaca Staminea, Tapes Philippinarum, and Crassostrea Gigas in Hood Canal and Puget Sound, Washington

To fulfill its management obligations the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) conducts intertidal bivalve population surveys on selected Washington public beaches in Hood Canal and Puget Sound. The agency has been conducting intertidal shellfish population assessments since 1986 and during this time has developed a set of standard sampling methods. The information collected enables state and tribal managers to effectively assess the existing clam and oyster resources upon which a sustainable harvest is based. Surveys are conducted on an annual basis during the summer low tides using a typical systematic random sampling design.