Commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries are open again north of Point Chehalis after being closed for nearly a month, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Aug. 28. The southern portion of the coast, however, including waters off Pacific County, is still closed to crabbing; levels of the marine toxin domoic acid remain high in crabs and razor clams here.

If levels stay high, this could delay the start of razor clam digs tentatively set to begin in October, said WDFW Coastal Shellfish Manager Dan Ayres.

The recreational razor clam digs closed in May in both Oregon and Washington due to high levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring marine toxin that can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities, found in the clams. Then WDFW closed approximately 90 miles of Washington’s 157-mile-long coast this summer as levels of domoic acid in crab soared — a massive, unprecedented closure of a multi-million dollar fishery, fishery managers say.

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