WDFW is responsible for biological management and enforcement of WDFW regulations of this valuable resource. Beach terrain must be returned to its approximate original condition by clam diggers immediately after harvest.Ī commercial geoduck fishery also exists commercial geoduck clam harvest is managed in Washington by the state Department of Natural Resources. All clam diggers must fill in holes created while digging clams (except razor clams).A cylindrical can or tube not exceeding 24 inches in diameter may be used to support the hole while digging geoduck. Recreational geoduck may only be taken by hand or with nonmechanized hand-operated forks, picks, mattocks, rakes, and shovels.It is illegal to maim, injure or attempt to capture a geoduck by thrusting any instrument through its siphon or to possess only the siphon or neck portion of a geoduck.All geoducks taken for personal use must be retained by the digger as part of their daily limit, regardless of size or condition.Personal daily limit is first 3 clams dug.Clam seasons are beach specific and may change annually. Current seasons can be located at wdfw.wa.gov/places-to-go/shellfish-beaches or at. Information on recreational shellfishing regulations is available in the sportfishing rule pamphlet. The siphon and mantle are so large that they cannot be withdrawn into the shell. The gaping, oblong shell is white with concentric rings, and generally has thin patches of flaky brown covering (periostracum) at the edges. Geoduck clams are found buried two to three feet deep in mud, sand, or gravel. Their range extends from Alaska to Baja California, but they are rarely found along the Pacific coast, and populations are likewise scarce west of Clallam Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They attain their maximum size by about 15 years, and can live at least as long as 168 years. Geoducks grow rapidly, generally reaching 1.5 pounds in three to five years. Much larger specimens have been reported by commercial harvesters. The largest geoduck ever weighed and verified by WDFW biologists was a 8.16-pound specimen dug near Adelma Beach in Discovery Bay in year 2000. The average size of recreationally caught geoducks on intertidal public beaches in Puget Sound is 2.47 pounds. The geoduck reaches an average size of 2.07 pounds (including the shell) in subtidal waters of Puget Sound (based on surveys of commercial beds before fishing). This 6.53-pound geoduck was discovered by WDFW divers near Discovery Bay. Monofilament recovery and recycling program.

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