Benson Beach, Ilwaco, Washington

I actually have no idea what these little buggers taste like.  To me, they taste like aluminum (silly shellfish allergy, anyhow).  But to my friends and family, they are the delectable, tender goodness that marks the transition in and out of wintertime here at the beach.

In Washington, sport clamming is open during just a few short seasons each spring and fall.  Throngs of people travel westward for the digs, a surge in population for hours or days, sometimes in torrential downpours and sometimes in idyllic weather.  Myself, I love to go clamming.  Instead of a license and a shovel, I bring a camera.  And only on those days that are like walking into a Botticellian paradise.

No Venus Here...

Gratefully, there are a number of fine clam cleaners here that will take a catch and make it near edible for just a few dollars.  My husband uses one.  He then delivers the clams to a dear woman by the name of Jane who freezes them, later to fry them up in panko breading and invite him and a gaggle of other grubbers over to dine.  Fine woman, that Jane.  But I digress.

This month marks the gathering of input by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  Among their many tasks, these public servants have the job of deciding how many clams there are to be harvested, on which beaches, and how many days it will take clammers to hit those limits.

The one that got away

Deciding which days to open the digs has got to be something like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  Out-of-towners, as a general rule, prefer the digs be on Saturdays, or crossing several days that include the weekend.  Merchants, on the other hand, rely heavily on these few days of potential profit during an otherwise very lean 8-10 months of the year, and prefer the digs be set so as to encourage overnight visits.

I don’t blame them at all;  it’s tough to make a living in a place where the overwhelming majority of residents make their annual income during a 3-4 month time period and spend the rest of the year paying nearly the same bills, without the customer base to support them.   We choose living here because we love it.  That doesn’t mean it is lucrative, or even financially easy, to live in Paradise.

And so it comes that WDFW Shellfish Managers seek public input regarding the upcoming fall razor clam season by presenting a series of public meetings, after which the fall dig seasons will be set.  Biologists will be reviewing, and discussing the findings of a recently completed “razor clam stock assessment for the Washington coast” at the gatherings.   Sounds like a hoot and a holler, don’t it?  Really though, the meetings are designed to give people a chance to provide suggestions and I’ve watched the process enough times to say that what is said in these forums is really listened to by WDFW and they do seem to implement informed compromises in response.  Which isn’t to say everyone is happy, but that’s an entirely different blog.

Digging by the dog method is not advised.

Good news, clam diggers:  It seems the clam population has been growing and there may even be additional dig days this year (2008-2009 season).  So come on out, learn something, give some input, and then come clamming.  You’ll find all the date and location information here.  It really IS a hoot and a holler, whether you dig ‘em …or shoot ‘em with your camera.

The BEST source for planning a trip to dig razor clams here on the Long Beach Peninsula:
http://funbeach.com/attractions/clams/

If you look closely, you might even spot Jane.