Razor clam digging on coastal beaches postponed until further notice 

The coastal razor clam season has been postponed until further notice, after being tentatively scheduled to begin Sept. 22-26.

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife announced that test results on razor clams have indicated domoic acid levels are trending upward or, on most beaches, have exceeded the health guidelines set by the Washington Department of Health (DOH) officials for safe consumption.

These toxin levels have forced the postponement.

“Because concentrations of domoic acid in razor clam samples have increased rapidly, we are acting out of an abundance of caution and putting a pause on opening all beaches,” said Dan Ayres, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) coastal shellfish manager. “We will work closely with DOH and hopefully be able to open beaches sometime down the road.”

Domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae, can be harmful or fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities. More information about domoic acid, as well as current levels at ocean beaches, can be found on WDFW’s domoic acid webpage.

WDFW says that shellfish staff will continue to regularly dig test samples of razor clams to monitor the situation. WDFW will announce future digging opportunities when marine toxin tests show it is safe to do so.

WDFW originally scheduled 56 days of tentative digs after summer assessments showed a strong razor clam population. The 2021-2022 season generated a record turnout of diggers and high number of razor clams harvested.

For more information, go to the WDFW’s razor clam webpage.

The updated 2022-23 Razor Clam Management Plan is available on the WDFW’s website. Public comments on the plan will be accepted no later than Oct. 15 and may be emailed to: [email protected].