Local News

One ocean beach will open for razor clam digging this month, then reopen along with three other beaches for a dig in February under a tentative harvest plan which shellfish managers announced January 10.
Under that plan, Twin Harbors Beach will be open for evening razor clam digging January 19-21 if marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat. As with previous digs this season, digging is allowed only during the hours between noon and midnight.
Twin Harbors Beach, stretching from the mouth of Grays Harbor to the mouth of Willapa Bay, has more razor clams available for harvest than any other state beach, said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
“This month’s opening is specifically designed to give diggers an opportunity to take advantage of the large number of clams still available at Twin Harbors,” Ayres said. “At most other beaches, we’re trying to conserve clams so there will still be some available for digs this spring.”
Clam diggers may, however, have a greater selection of beaches during the first two days of a three-day dig tentatively scheduled in February.

Four beaches – Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks and Kalaloch – will be open for digging February 16 and 17 between noon and midnight if marine toxin tests are favorable. Twin Harbors will also remain open an additional day, February 18, during the same hours if the test results allow the dig to proceed as planned.
As with this month’s proposed dig, Copalis Beach will remain closed in February because of the relatively low number of clams available for harvest there, Ayres said.
The National Park Service scheduled the dig at Kalaloch, which is within Olympic National Park, to coincide with those at the other beaches. Park Superintendent Bill Laitner strongly recommends carrying a lantern during evening digs – especially at Kalaloch Beach, which has no artificial lighting.