SEATTLE — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Lion while on patrol in the Strait of Juan De Fuca east of Port Angeles, terminated the voyage of a fishing vessel for safety gear concerns found during an at-sea boarding Wednesday.
The three member crew, harvesting geoduck clams, aboard the 28-foot fishing vessel Enforcer was safely escorted to Port Angeles, where the vessel was ordered to remain until the crew fixed the especially hazardous safety condition of lacking any personal floatation devices.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of carrying enough life jackets with you for everyone aboard the vessel and this is a mandatory requirement on all commercial vessels.” said Eric Cookson, a command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound. “We offer free vessel safety examinations where we will come to your boat to check that it meets all applicable rules and regulations. A Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Decal is awarded for those meeting the safety standards.”
Passing a Coast Guard fishing vessel examination will become mandatory Oct. 15. Any fishing vessel crew operating beyond three miles off shore will need to have completed their safety examination and received a commercial fishing vessel safety decal, which is displayed on the vessel.
Due to the upcoming mandatory examination date, fishing vessel crews are encouraged to start scheduling their examinations now. For inspections along central Washington Coast and the Puget Sound, contact Robert Cuddeback at 206-217-6187. For inspections along the Oregon coast from Brookings to Westport, Washington, contact Curt Farrell at 503-240-9373.
The crew of the Sea Lion, a 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Bellingham, Washington
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Geoduck Clams
Like climbing Mount Rainier, digging a geoduck is often considered a rite of passage for Washingtonians - and many people will tell you it's nearly as difficult. But with the proper equipment, practice, and a willingness to get thoroughly wet and dirty, just about anyone can bring home this iconic and tasty "king clam."
Geoducks are clams, so recreational digging on public beaches is permitted only when the clam season on a particular public beach is open. Clam seasons vary from beach to beach, and from year to year, so check this website to find the current rules. Geoducks may be taken with a hand-operated instrument only. It is unlawful to thrust any instrument through the "neck" (siphon) of a geoduck, and it is unlawful to possess only the siphon of a geoduck.The daily limit, unchanged for over fifty years, is three geoducks per person. These must be the first three you dig, since adult geoducks will not survive replanting.
You'll also need a tide chart, available at sporting goods stores and in many phone books, to find the days and times of low tides. Most geoducks are exposed only during low tides of -2.0 feet or below. Such tides generally occur during daylight hours only from mid-April to mid-August.
You'll generally need to excavate a hole up to three feet deep to unearth a geoduck. Many people use a big metal or plastic tube to prevent the sides of the hole from collapsing while digging. The tube needs to be wide enough so that you can reach in with a shovel and move the sand and mud out. Some harvesters buy a galvanized garbage can and cut out the bottom, although the angled sides occasionally make it difficult to remove the can from the hole. Other harvesters use a three-foot length of commercial heating/air-conditioning duct (18-inch width). Still others weld a sheet of aircraft aluminum into a tube , or make a tube with PVC.
Using a PVC tube for geoduck |
Dirty digging for geoduck |
Identification
Geoducks accessible to sport harvest are generally found in sandy or
muddy ground and live at depths anywhere from 18 inches to four feet
below the surface of the beach. Identification is made by the
appearance or feel of the siphons, which are covered with smooth,
leathery skin and do not have horny plates attached to the tip.
Barnacles and seaweed rarely attach to the tip of geoduck siphons. The
two halves of the siphon are joined along their full length, rather
than being split. The entire siphon tip has an oblong shape when viewed
from the top, and usually measures about two inches across when the
siphon is open. Neither of the siphon openings has an inner row of
tentacles or "fringe," and the siphon walls are thick. The exterior of
the siphon is usually a creamy brown. When the siphon is partially
withdrawn, an oblong "dimple" often remains in the substrate,
sometimes surrounded by small pellets (pseudofeces).
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| Geoduck siphon | |
 Geoduck siphon partially withdrawn |
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Horse clam siphons are frequently mistaken for geoduck siphons, although when they are open it's easy to tell the difference: horse clam siphons have an inner ring of tentacles near the tip (as seen in the photo below), geoduck siphons have no tentacles.
Horse clam siphons usually have hard, horny plates attached to the tip, and these can often be felt with fingertips. Horse clam siphons sometimes have attached barnacles or seaweed, but not always. When the horse clam siphon is withdrawn, the "dimple" or hole tends to be more circular, whereas the geoduck leaves an oblong dimple.
 Piddocks |
Horse siphon |
Horse siphon show |
What
to look fSome harvesters wait until the tide is out to look for siphon
"shows" or "dimples." Others like to wade in about six to eight inches
of water as the tide recedes. This technique often makes it easier to
spot siphons that are fully extended and pumping, but it only works
if visibility in the water is good. When the water is stirred up by
wave action and wind, you'll need to wait until the tide recedes to
look for siphon shows. Many people like to flag siphon shows with a
small marker, so that they can come back later, even after the siphon
retracts, to dig the geoducks. Once you've located a geoduck siphon, you can begin digging. As soon as it is disturbed, the geoduck will retract its siphon downward, but the geoduck itself cannot move, so you can take your time digging. If you've got a can or tube, center it on the siphon show, and force it down around the siphon as far as you can. Some diggers like to place a length of 2x4 across the top of the can, standing on it to force the can into the substrate.
Then carefully dig out the sand and mud, without slicing the siphon. As the hole is excavated, it's usually possible to force the can further down.
Once the siphon is fully exposed, continue digging using only your hands, a trowel, or a small coffee can until you can feel the shell itself. Don't be surprised if you are head and shoulders into the hole by this time. Gently wiggle the shell free; don't pull on the siphon since it will break. If you do break off the siphon, be sure to finish digging the clam and take both the siphon and the body in the shell. It is unlawful to possess only the "neck" (siphon) of a geoduck. Geoducks may only be taken with hand-operated instruments and it is unlawful to thrust any instrument through the neck of the animal.
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Cleaning and Filling In Holes
Rinse the clams well with seawater,
then keep them moist by putting them in a wet gunny sack or covering
them with wet cloth. Before leaving the beach, refill the holes you've
dug. Failure to fill holes is extremely damaging to many species of
clams. Small seed clams are smothered and killed by high earth piles
left after digging, while other clams are killed by the higher
temperature of water that collects in unfilled holes. Harvesting
regulations require that all holes created while digging clams must be
refilled. Failure to do so may result in fines of up to $75 per hole.