Razor Clams

Read more about the article Coastal razor clam harvest closed indefinitely
Scott Mazzone, marine biologist for the Quinault Indian Nation, digs a razor clam used for sampling for marine biotoxins. All razor clam harvest has been suspended indefinitely on the Washington coast due to a high level of domoic acid in razor clams. The toxin does not harm the clams, but can sicken or kill humans.

Coastal razor clam harvest closed indefinitely

The state Department of Health has closed the non-tribal razor clam harvest for the Washington coast indefinitely and Quinault Indian Nation has also closed its ceremonial and subsistence and commercial…

Continue ReadingCoastal razor clam harvest closed indefinitely
Read more about the article Razor clam digs scheduled following surveys
Quinault Indian Nation with the assistance of Hoh Tribe fisheries staff, conduct razor clam surveys on Kalaloch Beach south of Forks.

Razor clam digs scheduled following surveys

Quinault Indian Nation with the assistance of Hoh Tribe fisheries staff, conduct razor clam surveys on Kalaloch Beach south of Forks.
It’s a mixed bag of razor clam populations on beaches from Copalis to Kalaloch, an annual survey by the Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shows. While some beaches had fewer clams available for harvest, others had more.

The co-managers use seawater to pump razor clams to the surface inside a 3-foot-wide mesh tube sunk vertically into the beach sand, enabling non-lethal sampling of the population. Depending on the size of the population, QIN and the state set a harvest rate of 25.4 or 30 percent for clams 3 inches or larger. That leaves 70 to 75 percent of the clams to reproduce and increase the population. Harvest is split evenly between tribal and state diggers. (more…)

Continue ReadingRazor clam digs scheduled following surveys

Coastal Tribes Help Protect Public Health

[display_podcast]

jonnette-in-the-waves-for-web3Protecting the health of Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) tribal members and others is the main priority of harmful algal bloom specialist Jonnette Bastian-James.

Like other coastal tribes, QIN is helping to determine when harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur on the coast and how quickly they affect shellfish eaten regularly by Indian and non-Indian harvesters throughout the region.

James, a QIN tribal member, takes seawater samples year-round on five beaches from Ocean Shores north to Kalaloch where razor clams are harvested. Beginning in the spring, when levels of toxins harmful to humans can begin to rise, she increases sampling to twice a week at the beaches.
(more…)

Continue ReadingCoastal Tribes Help Protect Public Health

Quinault Indian Nation Cooperating On Research To Improve Razor Clam Knowledge

TAHOLAH (April 11, 2006) - Ocean waves pound the beach and wind-driven spray chills the fingers of Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) shellfish biologist Kelly Curtis and tribal technicians on a late winter day near Ocean Shores. The crew is out completing a winter razor clam survey as part of a five-year cooperative effort by QIN and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to improve estimates of natural razor clam mortality, a critical piece of information used in setting harvest rates. Razor clams are important to QIN both culturally and economically. Culturally, razor clams have been a part of tribal diets and ceremonies for thousands of years. QIN is also the only Washington tribe that has a commercial razor clam enterprise; a small but vital supplement to tribal incomes. QIN and WDFW co-operatively manage the razor clam resource on off-reservation beaches within the nation’s traditional gathering areas.

Continue ReadingQuinault Indian Nation Cooperating On Research To Improve Razor Clam Knowledge