LONG BEACH — Twenty-four more days of razor clam digging on the Long Beach Peninsula scattered between April 4 and May 17 have been announced by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
They will bring the digging season to an end.
Final approval of the April and May digs will come once marine toxin tests indicate the clams are safe to eat.
“We have an abundance of clams on most beaches, which makes for some terrific digging opportunities,” said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager.
Annual razor clam seasons typically end in mid- to late May, when the clams begin to spawn and are less desirable to eat, Ayres said.
Counting the planned dates in April and May, the department will have provided 286 “beach days” of digging, the highest number since 1989, he said.
A “beach day” is defined as one beach open for a single day, so four beaches open one day count as four beach days.
Diggers will need a 2015-16 license beginning in April, the start of the new license year.
An annual razor clam license costs $13 for Washington residents and $20.70 for others. A three-day clam license costs $8.60 for residents and non-residents. An annual combination fishing and shellfish license costs $54,25 for state residents and $123.55 for others.
