FILE - A freshly dug razor clam, on April 15, 2017.
Molly Solomon / OPB
Razor clam harvesting is closed coastwide in Oregon as of Friday Oct. 2.
The announcement from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stated that domoic acid levels are above the safety threshold.
The closure includes popular razor clam harvesting areas on Clatsop Beach. Mussel harvesting on the south coast is now open, making mussel harvesting open coastwide. Bay clams and crabs are also open coastwide.
Domoic acid is a marine biotoxin. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, shellfish like razor clams feed on small plants in the water called phytoplankton that produce the toxin. When people eat contaminated shellfish, the toxin affect the digestive system, nervous system, or both.
Call the Shellfish Safety Hotline at 1-800-448-2474 for up-to-date information on shellfish harvests, or visit the ODA Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures Webpage. To reopen an area for harvest, the ODA must collect two consecutive tests from an affected area with results below closure limits.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
