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SIIELLFISH
INVESTIGATION
SIIETTFISH
INVESTIGATION
Information Report
Infornation
Report 72-1
72-l
o
S
Razor Clam
The 1970
1970 Razor
Clan Fishery
S
o
by
by
S
o
Tory Link
Terry
Link
Darrell Demory
Denory
o
Fish
Oregon
Fish Commission
Cormission of Oregon
Itanagenentand
Management
andResearch
Research Division
Division
S
o
n
o
January 1973
1973
o
Il
*
|}
4
o
FisherY
Clan Pishery
RaaorClam
l9?0 Razor
The
The 1970
II'TfNODUCUON
INTRODUcTION
o
Marchthrough
fron March
through
saryled from
wsre sampled
dlggers were
Clams dug
razor clam
clan diggers
by razor
dug by
Clans
$eptenber.
Septem1jer.
randomly according
accotdlng
watreselected
solscted randomly
and area
aroe were
The
day and
Tlre sampling
saryllng day
statlstlcian,
our statistician.
by our
suggostedby
nethod suggested
to
to aa method
o
dlgger
of clam
clan digger
nu$er of
The
The number
personal
for the
the personal
nere noted
noted for
clans were
the clams
ago of
of the
trips
and age
the number
nunber and
trips and
and the
fisherles,
comercial fisheries.
use and
and commercial
use
of
south of
boachessouth
Several razor
razor clam
clam beaches
Several
periodlcally'
clans periodically.
for clams
chocked for
Tillamook
were checked
Courty, were
Tillanook Head,
Head, Clatsop
Clatsop County,
o
US8
PERSONAT
PERSONAL
USE }IARVEST
HARVEST
nunber
the number
and the
claus and
porsonal use
use harvest
Table
harvest of
of razor
razor clams
the personal
Table 1I shows
showsthe
o
I.
poor
and poor
3each' Rough
Roughsurf
surf and
aroa for
for Clatsop
clatsoP 3each.
by area
of clam
of
trips by
dtgget trips
clau digger
catch.
of the
the catch.
contlnued decline
to Ia continued
weather conditions
decline of
contributed to
lreather
conditions contributed
tho
while the
5.4t while
decllned 5.4%
trlps declined
dtgger trips
of digger
ntnbor of
Compared
to 1969
1969the
the number
Conparedto
popular
on the
the popular
Digging
pressure on
Digging pressure
t6t.
doclined 16%.
number
of clams
clanrsdug
dug declined
nrmbor of
32.41.
Beachdeclined
doclined 32.4%.
Seaside
SeesldeBeach
l"
Table
Table 1.
Area
Area
by Area
clams by
Razor Clams
Personal uge
Use Harvest
Harvest of
of Razor
Personal
gs
1i1esof
Beach
Beach
No. ofClams/
Diggers
Dicsers
Diggers
No. Clams
DuZ
No.
l$agted
Wasted
Total
Tota
14
14
36,700
36,700
13.1
1
3 r.
481,0oo
481,000
80,000
80,000
56l r0o0
561,000
4ful
,/
2
2
3 ,5 00
3,500
12.9
t2.9
45,000
45,000
8,000
8,000
53,000
53,000
sy/
2
2
1 5 ,9 00
15,900
l11.9
l.9
189,000
l89r 00o
37,000
37,000
226,AoA
226,000
t8
18
56,100
S6,lOO
t2.7
12.7
715,000
7l5, ooo
t-3 J//
1-3
4
S
TOTAT
TOTAL
y/
tuaeh)
Road,. (North
fiorth Beach)
Gearhst Road.
Riuer to Gearhart
Columbia
Colttnbia River
U/
River.
Neeuttc'tttttftiuer'
*o Necaniown
Road to
Gearluwt
Gauhst Road
y/
Eed,
Tillamook Head.
Necanictun
River to titlorook
Neood.an ftisser
(Geuhart)
(Gearhart)
(Seaside)
BeaaidB)
l25,oo0
125,000
840,000
840,000
o
I.
o
...
2.
2.
1965-70is
ls shown
Figure 1.
for 1965-70
sholtnin
ln Figure
l.
The percentsge
percentage age
lte
age composition
cmporltlon for
o
the fishery.
flshcry.
nalngtay of
of the
the mainstay
One-year-old
$1s-yger-old clams
ar€ still
stlll the
clans are
Ttrorelatively
relatlvely
The
the presonce
strong
of ae strong
presence of
Ofs in
in the
high percentago
percentage of
of 0's
the catch
catch lndlcate
indicate the
htgh
2
t
wasted
with 125,000
eoubinedwith
1251000wasted
of, 0's
Ors combined
However, the catch
catch of
c1a$9. Howover,
year
)teer class.
o
problen still
the
exlsts in
of the
ln spite
splte of
still exists
clams,
utlllzatim problem
clans, indicates
lndlcates that
that aI utilization
July
l5-August 31
3l closure.
clogure.
July 15-August
the utilization
utlllzation
closur6, the
wlthout the
the closure,
However,
Horvover,without
worse.
problon
would have
nuch worse.
hsve been
beon much
problem would
o
FISHERY
COQ4ERCIAL
FISHERY
C$E,IERCIAI
'N.
oEi
clans wag
The 1970
of 611000
61,000 clams
was thc
the lotrest
lowest in
in the
the
catclr of
1970 commercial
commetclal catch
Tlre
past. 27
years.
27 years.
past
o
S
pornds per
per landing
by only
only
declined by
landlng declined
of pounds
The average
number of
The
everage nrmber
The
from 185
185 to
to 79.
79. The
droppodfrom
issuod dropped
of licenses
llconseg issued
2.5 pounds,
pounds, but the
number of
the nrmbor
2,5
prlco
remeinedhtgh;
price of
high; up
up to
to $2.20/lb for
for cleanod
cleaned
of clams
dlgger remained
clans to the
tho digger
o
U
and $0.65/lb
the shell.
shell.
cl.ans
in the
clams and
$0.65/fb in
SURVEYS
CLAM
CLAI'ISURVEYS
pernitted.
as time
tine permitted.
r+erechecked
chockedas
Hesdwere
Six
Tillsepok Head
Stx beaches
of Tillamook
beach€ssouth
$outh of
:,
'i,r'
o
pertlnant catch
catch data.
data.
andpertinent
Table .2'llsts
2lists the
Tablo
the beaches
beechesand
.fi.
Beaclr,
Myers
Creek Beach,
itysrs Creek
gtl
bsecheg.,r,
productive of
the southern
sout{rernbeaches.
of the
nost productive
res the
miles south
Gold Beach,
tfie most
of Gold
Beach, was
8 uiles
south of
o
Table 2.
Table
2.
1970
Beaches'1970
from Southern
$outhern Beaches,
Razor Clarn
Clam Cateh
Catch Data
Razor
Data from
No. of
ol
No., of,
of No.
Clams/
Glamg
Digger
Clams
C,lqPs.Dlsser
Area
Diggers
Area $ampled
Sampled ,.DlpgeTs
o
o
o
-
Age Composition in Percentag
5
I
1
2
F
3 - 35- -44
0
0.-,
1 7 . 5 16.0
1 6 , 0 24.5
24,5
42.0
4 2 . A 17.5
Indian
Indian Beach
Beaetr
60
60
424
424
7. L
7.1
Beach
Cannon
CannonBeach
24
z4
256
256
10.7
10.7
Boach
Cove
Cove Beach
55
55
497
497
9.0
9.0
Agate Beach
Agate
Beech
24
24
57
57
2
.4
2.4
South Beach
Beach
South
2
2
l5
15
7.5
7.S
9.9
9.9
.4
0.4
15.9 0
4 5 . 2 13.9
2 0 , 3 45.2
1
0 . 3 20.3
10.3
ltyers
iyers Creek
Croek
24
24
382
382
15.9
15.9
1.0
1.0
2 3 . 6 23.3
2 3 . 3 22.3
22,3
2 2 . 8 23.6
22.8
51.7
5 1 . 7 38.9
38.9
9.4
9,4
25.3
3 A . 7 25.3
3
9 . 6 30.7
39.6
3.4
3.4
1;O
l.'0
NO
NO DATA
DATA
CORVALLIS
COHVALLIS
UNIVERSITY,
OflEGON
STATE uNIVERSiTY,
REGON STATE
O
7,0
7.0
lo
S
P
3.
60
60
1965
40
40
20
20
o
________
0
1
I
t
1966
60
60
.
o
40
40
20
2A
-
0
o
0.6
1
0.1
1967
60
60
4A
40
o
n
o
0
bo
br
q,
,lJ
g
0
o
iJ
U
20
'o
0.1
h
A
0.1
$5.
C}
0
o
1968
60
60
40
40
20
2a
[1
o
0"
F-
-tl
i
1969
60
60
o
40
40
20
20
0
o
TI
0.7
1970
60
60
40
40
t
20
20
0
________
0
Figuro 1.
Figure
l.
F
1
0.4
J
2
3
0.1
4
Age
Age
PersonalUse
Percentage
RazorClams
Percentage Ago
of Personal
Age Composition
UsoRazor
Corposition of
Clans
1965-70
From
Clatsop Beach,
Beach,1965-70
FromClatrop
/
o
[]
/
o
/
O
o
CENTER
TO
CENTER
RETuRN
INFORMAflON
o
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