LONG BEACH — Razor clam digging on Long Beach Peninsula and the other Washington beaches is closed for the season.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced razor clams sampled on Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks beaches exceed marine toxin levels set by state public health officials.
“Based on the most recent toxin tests, razor clams will not be safe to eat for the remainder of the month,’’ said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager.
Domoic acid levels at Long Beach increased from 19 parts per million on April 23 to 41 parts per million on May 2. Twin Harbors domoic acid level was 36 parts per million.
The safety threshold is less than 20 parts per million.
Razor clam season routinely closes by the end of May, when the clams begin to spawn. The next season will begin in the fall, when the older clams have recovered from spawning and a new generation begins to grow behind the sand.
“We’ll conduct our annual assessment of clam populations over the summer and hope to open beaches again in September or October,’’ Ayres said.
Copalis beach is closed because diggers reached the number of harvestable clams for the season already.
Domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae, can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities. The toxin has posed problems for razor clam and crab fisheries along Washington’s coast for the last two years.
