!
THE 1964 CLATSOP BEACH PERSONAJ.. =US'& RAZOR CL.A.M FISHERY
INTRODUCTION
The persona.l=use razor cla..?U fieheey was sara.pled from April to SeptembeJ•
or
1964 for number and. age composition
d~ggers.
A wastage estimate was also
clams dug and number and distribution of
detel~ned~
-- PERSONAL=USE FISB mY
The 1964 samplinf: pr-ogram. was similar to tha .. of past years "tdth samplln
being done eveey other da~ during each tid~ serl.ea from one ·hour before to on~
hour after low 'h-atero
Table lo
Personal.=Use Harvest of Razor Clams by Area. from. Clatsop
Beaches, April-September 1964.,
Clc-
Avei'age No~
Clame Per Disser
tlo. Clams
~
16
43fl410
15.,7
682.,397
84i)S99
2
27~193
14 .. 9
415,197
157~699
18
70~· 603
15.,5
lj)CYJ7,894
242 ~598
.Beach
I=IV ]j
No~
of Di.sers
Miles of
Area
· v·Y
TOTAL
Ntmtber
i/ N~e&nicum River to Columbia River
3/ Tillamook
Wasted
(North Be ach) o
Head to Necanieum River (Seaeide)~
Diggexs and Distribution
Digging intensity in
1964 . ~creased
to
70~60.3
diggers (Table · l
~d. Figu~e
. 29f, over that of 1963 co · ·The greatest nUmber of diggers ( 61% ) dug on the 16=mile
North Beach which reversed ·the trend
or
last year.
Although 18 milea of beach
were available I . about 9CJI, of the digging took place in about 9. miles. . Largo
crowds of
~iggers
at Seaside.
congregated
f'rom the Peter Iradale
northS) near GearhartJ) ·and
The increased effort wae probabl,- dua in part to publJ.c ty by the
new media about the low tides
or
1964<'
1);)
..
..
1.4
1.2,
A
co
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~
1.0
~
0
/'
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0
G'l
a
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''d
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IH
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.,.;
c::l
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....
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6
---..../
..c:
1:-1
;'
""" Diggers
-
.2
0
I
•
•
•
0
I
1959
1960
Year
Figure 1.
Personal-Use Harvest of Razor Clams and Number of Diggers on Clateop
Beaches, 1955=64.
l\)
plus y®ar since 195So . The large catch is n t necessarily en ouraging
or 63 5 :J 000 clams were 0 us (Figures 2 and 3) o
re~
to increased digging press
The high t.ake
good availability of the clam
increase in clam stocks (the catch=pel:--
ls© of note is .the. early occurrenc0 of
f {) ~ s is due in part
beds~
and to an
it of effort increased from 111)3 to 15o5)r
o~s
Jv.nev 60% of' the catch was o~s (Figure 4) ~
cou~d
.
becaus~ 5~:
in the
catch ~
By the sec nd series iri
A closure frcm July 15 to August 31
have theoretically reduced the harvest cf ova by 34% o
219"000 clams
(Figu.re 5)()
WASTAGE
A
\~stage
~Uade
had been
area
or
estimate was
to dig a
deter-min~
clam~
b,y fe ling in shovel holes whe e an
A sample of 50 to 200 holes was taken in
beach during each tide aeries.
a~tempt
aeh su'b"""'
The total number of clams was ed .was cal-·
culat ed b.Y applying the percentage of clams found in these samp es to
lated sport harvest for the appropriate time period and area.
~he
ca cu=
The wa tage
eat1mate is minimal at besto
. An .estimated 242~568 -clams were wasted in
sport catch {Figure 6).,
thsn the 1957=63 average.
1964, l d'l.ich repr sents 22% of the
This is 261% gr ater than that of 196.3 and
The per cent ra.stage by tlde series
s
et7% . gr~a ~ e
ho~
in
Figure 7c
Closure of the beach from
Ju~
15 to Auglst 31 could have theore ·ically
reduced wastage by' 3.3% or acme 75,000 clams (Figure B) c
Therefore, it
~-ould
seem d®sirable that Clateop beaches from the Columbia
River to Tillamook Head be closed to razor clwm digging from Ju
~a~
year t
reduce
15 o AuguGt 31
wastags~
Darrel
Demory~
Aquatic Biologist
Or gon F·eh Commission Re earch Di
September 1965
i~
on
•
.
4.
1955
1960
60
40
20
' 0
;----,
0
1
., -.,
2
3
0.2
4
5
n
0
0
<O. l
1
5
1956
961
20
·o
0,1
1
5
1957
~
G)
t)
~
0
-'"--'
~
C,)
H
1962
60-
l
I
40
20
0
1958
0
1963
20
0.1
-,--
0
1959
40
0.4 <0.1
0
'4
·5
1964
40.
20-
0
1
F-igure 2.
5
0
0
<O.l
--5-
Age
Per Cent Age Composition of Sport Harvested Ruor Clmns, 1955-=64.
60
50
j
40
()
'a
.,
~.,
Per Cent ,
.,
,.
---- -'
~
f)
,< )0 o ·
.,
I
::s
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.8
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~
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20
I
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100
10
0
0
1957
Figure 3.
1958
1959
i9.60
1961
Year
1962 . 1963
1964
Personal=Use Harvest of First Year Razor Clams trcm
Clatsop Beaches, 1957~~
....
I
,
I
I
...
I
• -=-- • •
r
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0_.,. •• -- .
I
. f ..
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~
1964
~Q)
0
s..~
............. ..
p..
........_
I
..
4
.
.
.. .
1962- 63
I
I
I'
".
~
....
o•••
I
I
I
I 196o-6l
Q
I
•
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.
I
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•.1 •
.•
I
#
.~
0
•
•
.. ..
0
•
• •• 0
.,
.. ..... .
••
•• •
~
~
..
Figure ·4.
'
,.o
,. "••
I
~
I
t
I
I
• Q
/
..
o•
.
/
I
/
·--- 0. --- ••
•
.
.
..
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~
__,
..
I
..
~
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~-
I
......... .
,"
#
7 July 8
Tide Series
Two=Year Averages or Personal~Use Harvest of 0+ Razor Clame in Per Cent
Series, Clatsop Beachesi April t o Septomb0r 1958=1964.
by Tid~
."'
600
Per Cent
Reduced
500
55.oJ%
300
200
86o6%
-~oo
57.9/,
r' .
1957
Figure 5o
'1958
1959
1960
1961
Year
1962
1963
Theoretical Reduction in Harvest of 0+ Razor Clam
Effected by Jul7 15 to August 31 Beach Cl osure ·
1957-196.3p
25
500
\
\
,400 .
\
I
120
'
..::
u
"til
0
15 ';t
~
I
Per Cent
'2 00 _
100
''
I
fc-t
I
'
''
/
'
"
. --- -1
/ - - - - - •-
I
·10
' v'
/
Annual Personal-Use Wastage or Razor Clams tram
Clatsop Beaches, 1957~1964. (Extrapol ated Dat·a
Used for 1961 and 1963).
°
1:
(,)
/
Number
Figure 6.
8
I
- ·;
~
C)
A..
/
/
/"'
/
/
~/
~
/"" '
'
1959
' 'v
""
""'
1958
~
~
~Q)
1964 ..
0
Sot
"•
Q)
•
0
...
0
•
fl..
0
. ...
....
Figure 7.
--- --
Pereonal...U se Wastage of Razor Cl&J;!lS b7 Tide Series, ·April to Sept. ember~
1958=60~
1962p 1964o
"'.
1 "
21.3%
~
~
e
+l
Cf)
~
Per Cent
Reduced
J.
.3.3. 2%
C,)
28.~
'H
0
IJ
5
52.o/f,
21.5%
CD
g
..s:: ·
40. Ofo
40.QC
29.7f,
E-t
1957
Figure 8.
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
. 1964
Year
Theoretical Reduction in Personal-Use Wastage Effected
by' July 15 to August .31 Closure, 1957-1964.
(Extrapolated data ueed for 1961 and 1963).