High toxin levels keep razor clam diggers off beaches

The 2026 razor clam digging season was expected to open for the first set of digs on Oct. 9, but spiking levels of domoic acid in tested clams forced managers to close the season indefinitely. An algae bloom has been working its way up the coast, first causing domoic acid levels to spike in Southern Oregon. As the bloom moved north, it reached closure levels on some beaches, while approaching that level at other beaches. The far-reaching bloom forced state managers to hit the pause button on the opening digs. Bryce Blumenthal, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife coastal shellfish biologist, reported that recent tests were either above the limit of 20 parts per million on some beaches, or near that level. “The test that we got in anticipation of our first digs were above the closure level on Long Beach and right at closure levels for Twin Harbors,” Blumenthal said. “The samples were dug on September 30, and the assumption was that the Twin Harbor sample was going to be just at closure level, or just below that level, but had actually exceeded that level.” Since then, because the water sampling showed similar levels of Pseudo-nitzsche, the domoic acid-producing algae, other beaches weren’t opened. Even though some northern beaches were not at the closure level yet, the tests showed increases in marine toxins. “Copalis and Mocrocks continued to show an increase of domoic acid levels,” Blumenthal said. “They weren’t at closure level, but they were showing a rise that was concerning, so those remain closed out of an abundance of caution. “We will work closely with the Department of Health and hopefully will be able to open the beaches sometime down the road.” Domoic acid, a natural toxin that certain marine algae produce, can be harmful or fatal if consumed in high quantities. It can produce an affliction called amnesic shellfish poisoning. The bloom may be feeding off high water temperatures, the result of an El Niño event, a natural climate cycle in the tropical Pacific Ocean that recurs every two to seven years. It typically lasts 9 to 12 months. This current El Niño is strengthening into what some experts call a “super El Niño.” It has begun to causing record-breaking warm water temperatures, which may be driving the algae bloom. “Let’s say it’s certainly more plausible when the water is warm, the algae are more likely to thrive,” Blumenthal said. He reported that the states have been watching the bloom that arrived in southern Oregon during the summer. The spikes there were really high, and in mid-September a domoic acid test from Gold Beach, Ore., hit a level of 280 ppm, which is 14 times higher than the safety limit of 20 ppm. “Managers were keeping tabs on the domoic acid levels as they climbed and moved north and we were hoping for a reprieve that did not happen,” Blumenthal said. “We were all sort of keeping our fingers crossed and holding our breath throughout the summer,” Blumenthal said. “Especially as the data came in, and the stories were coming out and we were hoping only to see a bloom later in the fall. “There’s a lot of people I have talked to, both diggers and in our agency, that felt like the signs were all pointing in this direction and hoping it was not too bad.” Just how bad it could eventually become is currently a matter of speculation, but the next round of testing could offer some clues. “It’s really hard to say with us just having these first rounds of samples, so this next round of samples may give us an idea,” he said. “These next samples should shed some light on how much it has risen. Hopefully it isn’t as high as it’s gone in the past, and maybe we could have some easing of the conditions that create the toxins.” The second round of testing has been completed, and now managers are awaiting the results. How high the levels rise will offer some idea of how long the toxins will hang around. The clams will need time to metabolize the toxins and move them through their system. Unfortunately, with the colder water of winter on the way, the clams may slow their feeding activity, and it may take longer to clear the toxins. “Because they are such a hearty organism, it gets in their flesh and it remains for quite a long time especially if they are not active,” Blumenthal said. “Something that has happened in the past is there is a big bloom and spike and the clams are just not as active and do not metabolize as much in the colder months. It just kind of lingers in their flesh and doesn’t shed.” With the El Niño conditions pushing into record area, all managers can do is wait and watch to see how this all plays out. The DOH requires two test samples seven to 10 days apart with domoic acid levels under the guideline level in order to reopen the beaches to razor clams. In some years there have been short closures, but a few years have seen the season closed all year. Razor clam digging in 2021-2022, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026 was open the entire season. At this point, prospective diggers will just have to wait and see whether they will be able to harvest any razor clams this year. With the conditions ripe right now for the growth of the bloom, it can be an unnerving time for razor clam aficionados. For more information about domoic acid, as well as current levels at ocean beaches, check the WDFW’s domoic acid webpage at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/basics/domoic-acid/levels and the DOH webpage.

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