Mussel Harvest Abruptly Closed on Most of Northern Oregon Coast Due to Biotoxin

Published 06/27/25 at 6:46 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Oceanside, Oregon) – [UPDATES - Mussel Gathering is Closed on Almost Half of Coast] -- Another set of mussel closures has hit the Oregon coast, with officials having to halt recreational gathering from Cannon Beach down to Florence. (Photo Seaside Aquarium)

However, another closure for clamming looms in the near future.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced Friday that mussel harvesting is now closed from Tillamook Head, just south of Seaside, to the north jetty of the Siuslaw River in Florence due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), a naturally occurring marine biotoxin.

Officials urge the public to check the Shellfish Safety Hotline at 800-448-2474 or visit the ODA’s Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures webpage before harvesting shellfish.

Photo Seaside Aquarium

Current shellfish harvesting conditions vary along the Oregon coast. Mussel harvesting remains open from the Washington border to Tillamook Head and from the north jetty of the Siuslaw River to the California border, but the Tillamook-to-Florence stretch is closed.

Razor clam harvesting is permitted from the Washington border to Cape Blanco, but the area from Cape Blanco (Port Orford) to the California state line is off-limits.

Bay clam and crab harvesting remain open statewide, leaving hot spots like Bandon, Seaside or Newport still a go for those morsels.

Otter Rock - Oregon Coast Beach Connection

ODA conducts routine biotoxin testing at least twice a month, depending on tides and weather. Reopening closed areas requires two consecutive toxin tests showing levels below the safety threshold.

For updates and shellfish safety information, contact the ODA biotoxin hotline, the ODA Food Safety Program at 503-986-4720, or refer to the department's online resources. Licensing information and harvest regulations are available through ODFW.

Meanwhile, on the Washington coast, the razor clam season has ended.

Coos Bay - courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast

In Oregon, the annual conservation closure for razor clams is expected to begin July 15, halting razor clam harvesting from Seaside to the tip of Warrenton through September 30. The closure, in place since 1967, protects juvenile clams during their establishment on Clatsop County's 18-mile stretch of beach, which accounts for over 90 percent of Oregon’s razor clam population.

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