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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 3, 2004 Oregon’s coast remains closed to digging of razor clams By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Most of Oregon’s coast remains closed to the digging of razor clams after health officials found high levels of a toxic marine compound in some clams, but the entire coast remains open to all other clamming. Beaches from Seaside north remain open to razor clammers this month, which is widely looked at as having the best clamming tides of the year. "If you want to go razor clamming, you still can go to the best razor-clamming beaches in the state — north of Tillamook Head," says Anne Pressentin Young, spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Domoic acid levels in razor clams found on the south and central coast remain high, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, in some places as much as four times higher than thresholds allowable for clam digging. Levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin produced by marine phytoplankton or algae, must be lower than 20 parts per million for two consecutive sampling periods in order to reopen recreational harvesting. Advertisement The beaches have been closed to razor-clam digging since last year, and the Department of Agriculture had hoped new samples would show levels diminished enough to open razor clams for harvest. Some clams sampled in the recent survey showed domoic acid levels as high as 86 parts per million, according to the Department of Agriculture. There is no timetable for the reopening of the harvest season. Eating shellfish contaminated with low levels of domoic acid can cause minor illness within minutes to hours after consumption. In mild cases, symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and headache. More severe cases of domoic acid poisoning can result in memory problems, damage to the central nervous system, renal failure and death. The toxins affect other forms of shellfish, including other clam species. However, the other shellfish species are able to purge the toxin in relatively short time, but the domoic acid lingers longer in the razor clams’ fatty tissues. The razor-clam decision comes at an inopportune time for diggers, who were looking forward to excellent low-tide conditions in early June to gain access to more clam beds. The closure comes just before the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is set to consider a public petition to shorten the razor-clamming season in Clatsop County by 45 days. The county has a regular "conservation closure" for razor clams from July 15 through Sept. 30, but some citizen groups have asked to have that closure begin June 1 to give smaller clams an opportunity to grow more. The issue has heightened because some clam-diggers have been caught illegally attempting to return a small or cracked razor clam in the sand in order to take a larger, intact clam, ODFW spokeswoman Anne Pressentin Young says. The current bag limit is the first 15 razors taken, regardless of size or condition. The commission meets June 11 in Baker City. A public hearing on the issue is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 8 in Astoria. For more information, call Matthew Hunter, the ODFW’s shellfish biologist in Astoria, at (503)325-2462. The commission also is set to adopt this year’s controlled-hunt tag allocations for big-game seasons this fall. The seasons were set last year, but the numbers of tags issued for the various hunts is set the June before the seasons begin. Hunters have already applied for the tags, and results are expected by June 20. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities