[ Commercial Harvest ]   [ Certification and Licensing for Dealers ]  [ Licensing Requirements for Individual Diggers ]

Commercial Harvest

Commercial harvest of razor clams is an old but small fishery in Washington. Each year, the fishery opens during the spring and/or summer for six-weeks. Typically, 50 to 100 diggers participate in this open access fishery. Seasons are tentatively scheduled in March, with specific dates announced once biotoxin levels have been deemed safe by the Washington Department of Health.

Commercial harvest is allowed only on the detached Willapa Spits, located at the mouth of Willapa Bay. The spits are accessible only by boat. Familiarity with the area is vital; the mouth of Willapa Bay is very treacherous.

In order to participate all diggers need to obtain a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commercial Razor Clam license. The license fee is $130 for Washington State residents and $185 for non-residents.

Diggers must also either register with a Department of Health certified razor clam dealer or become certified by Department of Health individually.

Certification and Licensing Requirements for Dealers

To purchase clams, individuals or companies must obtain the following:

Department of Health Shellfish License, and Certification and Inspection
Contact Frank Cox at (360) 236-3309 for an Application and Plan of Operation Questionnaire

and

WDFW Wholesale Dealer’s License.

If you plan to buy clams and do not have a Wholesale Dealer’s License, contact WDFW Licensing, (360) 902-2464 for appropriate application forms.

The fee for a wholesale dealer license is $250.

Licensing Requirements for Individual Diggers

To participate in the commercial razor clam fishery diggers must register with a razor clam dealer certified by the Department of Health (DOH). For a current list of certified dealers, contact the Department of Health at (360) 236-3309 or the Department of Fish and Wildlife Region 6 office at (360) 249-4628. Contact the dealer directly and arrange to be included on their list of registered diggers. You may register with two different dealers. There is no fee to register.

Dealers submit the list of registered diggers to the Department of Health, which in turn forwards it to Licensing at WDFW. Commercial razor clam licenses will only be sold to those individuals appearing on list from the Department of Health.

If you plan to purchase your license in person, first call WDFW Licensing at (360) 902-2464 to confirm that your name is on the list of registered diggers.