The razor clam sport and personal use fisheries on the east side of the Cook Inlet will remain closed for a second year. The number of razor clams on beaches in Ninilchik and Clam Gulch are still too low to allow harvesting, according to Matt Miller, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game’s regional management coordinator for sportfishing in the Upper Cook Inlet. The department conducted surveys this year on five beaches on the peninsula — Ninilchik North and South, Clam Gulch North and South and the Oil Pad Access North.

The abundance of mature size razor clams remained at historical low levels on all five beaches, according to the report presented at the Board of Fisheries work session Thursday.

“They were still down to historic lows, so those are looking pretty bad,” Miller said. “The number at Ninilchik were also low, but the oil pad beaches showed a little more recruitment.”

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