OLYMPIA — Razor clams along the Washington beach still have marine toxin levels too high for human consumption.
The level of domoic acid has declined during the summer, but is not low enough yet.
“Obviously we can’t open beaches to digging until toxin levels drop,’’ said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If marine toxin levels decline, the earliest digging will take place is mid- to late October, he said.
This season, razor clam populations in Washington are estimated to be slightly lower than 2014-15, but still above the long-term average.
Last season, diggers harvested 5.7 million clams and averaged 14.4 clams per day, just shy of the 15 clam limit.
Domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae, can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities.
Oregon — Razor clam digging at Oregon’s Clatsop County beaches will not open Oct. 1 as scheduled.
Digging along the entire Oregon coast has been closed since May 14 due to elevated levels of domoic acid. The most recent test results released Friday, show levels too high for the season to open, said Matt Hunter, an Oregon shellfish biologist.
Hunter said Oregon beaches will re-open to razor clamming only after two consecutive samples show domoic acid is below the alert level. When that might happen is impossible to predict because the clams are very slow to eliminate the toxin.
“The only way for razor clams to reduce the level of domoic acid is through spawning or growth,” Hunter said. “We saw a big reduction in domoic acid levels after spawning in June, but we haven’t seen much growth in adult clams since then that would bring the levels down even more.”
