Clammers will get to dig in north Pacific County starting this Friday, but clamming remains off limits on the peninsula.

LONG BEACH — After marine toxin tests appeared on March 6 to be good enough for clamming to resume on the Long Beach Peninsula, a test at a single location on March 12 screwed things up again.

However, the north county beach from the mouth of Willapa Bay to Westport reopened to digging March 17, for the first time since Nov. 1 when a toxic algal bloom caused domoic acid levels to spike to unsafe levels coastwide.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife collects clams at three peninsula locations — south, middle and north — and the Washington Department of Health requires clam meat at all three to contain less than 20 parts per million of domoic, a naturally occurring poison that can cause intestinal upsets, memory loss or even death.

The March 6 peninsula samples found levels of 18, 14 and 6 ppm, while the March 12 levels were 21, 14 and 8 ppm. The state agencies require there to be less than 20 ppm in two series of tests just before clamming is allowed. The Willapa-to-Westport beach — which WDFW refers to as Twin Harbors — met this standard with results of 14, 12 and 11 on March 6 and 16, 15 and 11 on March 12.

With 2022-23 clam licenses due to expire after March 31, it appears unlikely that peninsula residents will get to clam in their home sands before new 2023-24 licenses are required.

“As wonderful as it is to now be able to offer harvest days on Twin Harbors, we are disappointed that Long Beach still remains above the domoic acid toxicity closure level,” said Bryce Blumenthal, a WDFW coastal shellfish biologist, in a press release. “Diggers can expect abundant populations of nice-sized clams on open beaches. Digs switch to morning low tides on March 23-26 providing the first daylight opportunities of spring.”

The following digs during morning (a.m.) low tides will proceed as scheduled:

March 23, Thursday, 8:29 a.m.; -0.3 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

March 24, Friday, 9:13 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

March 25, Saturday, 9:57 a.m.; -0.2 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

March 26, Sunday, 10:44 a.m.; 0.2 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Future tentative digs planned during morning (a.m.) low tides are scheduled (digging extended to 1 p.m. on April 12 only):

April 6, Thursday, 7:34 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

April 7, Friday, 8:10 a.m.; -0.1 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

April 8, Saturday, 8:48 a.m.; -0.3 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

April 9, Sunday, 9:29 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

April 10, Monday, 10:15 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

April 11, Tuesday, 11:09 a.m.; -0.2 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

April 12, Wednesday, 12:12 p.m.; 0.1 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging extended until 1 p.m.)

April 19, Wednesday, 6:44 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

April 20, Thursday, 7:28 a.m.; -0.9 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

April 21, Friday, 8:09 a.m.; -1.2 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

April 22, Saturday, 8:50 a.m.; -1.1 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

April 23, Sunday, 9:31 a.m.; -0.8 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

April 24, Monday, 10:14 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis

April 25, Tuesday, 11:01 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks