N. Oregon Coast Reopens Razor Clamming Oct. 1 - Some Closures Still in Effect

Published 9/25/24 at 6:45 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – Just as an area near Waldport gets closed down to razor clamming, the spot with the highest population density of razors gets going again. (Seaside: Oregon Coast Beach Connection photo)

Clatsop beaches at Warrenton through Seaside on the north Oregon coast will reopen for harvesting of the morsel on October 1, after the annual conservation closure shut it down in July. This happens every year.

Two areas around Waldport on the central Oregon coast now have advisories about bay clams: Eckman Lake and Aslea Bay. Some mussel and razor clam closures remain on the south coast.

Each year, Seaside, Gearhart and Warrenton go through the conservation closure as biologists assess the razor clam population there - the beaches where most of Oregon’s razor clam harvest happens.

This year has not been a banner year for them, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) shellfish biologist Matt Hunter. He said experts found a below average number of total clams of .62 clams per square meter. The 20-year average is 1.32 clams and the highest was in 2021 at 3.73.

Seaside Aquarium

How new razor clams establish themselves is called “juvenile recruitment,” and it's the biggest factor behind any rise or fall in population. This was down significantly with .24 clams per square meter.

“The 20-year average is .75 clams with the highest in 2021 at 2.59 juvenile clams per square meter,” ODFW said.

Thus, clam digging numbers will be average to below average on the north Oregon coast this fall. Also, the majority of this year's clams are second and third-year, and they're between four and five inches long.

Seaside Aquarium

“Clam abundance is highest in the middle and southern portions of Clatsop Beach,” ODFW said.

Hunter said he believes the lack of newer clams has to do with winds pushing razor clam larvae northward during and spring summer, which has driven more of them into the south Washington coast. ODFW believes this also happened in 2022.

“Most years, Oregon sees razor clam spawning events in fall, in addition to the typical spring/summer spawning,” ODFW said. “Fall spawning can be an important component and in some years is the only juvenile recruitment.”

Hunter, meanwhile, said he is hopeful fall will bring a good spawning event that should inch the population back up from spring/summer's lackluster numbers.

Farther south, Oregon officials issued advisories about bay clamming at Eckman Lake near Waldport as well as the town's Alsea Bay. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) last week issued a recreational advisory for Eckman Lake near Waldport, while ODFW recommends people avoid harvesting and consuming softshell clams from the Alsea Bay estuary.

Alsea Bay, Waldport

On the south Oregon coast, razor clamming is still closed from Port Orford's Cape Blanco south to the California border, due to high levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid.

Currently, razor clamming is open from Cannon Beach down to Cape Blanco. That opens up more on October 1 when Clatsop Beach returns.

Waldport

For mussels, it's all open from Cape Blanco northward – including towns such as Coos Bay, Reedsport, Florence, Newport, Lincoln City, Oceanside, Tillamook Bay, Nehalem Bay, or Seaside and Astoria. Mussel harvesting is closed from Cape Blanco southward because of domoic acid.

Before heading out to harvest razor clams or any shellfish, always call the Shellfish Safety Hotline at 1-800-448-2474 or visit the ODA Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Webpage.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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