shellfishing
Try your hand at shellfishing Looking for bucket-loads of oysters and clams or going after crab and shrimp are popular pursuits on the Olympic Peninsula. Seasons fluctuate regularly. Always check the state fishing regulations pamphlet the for seasons and rules contact the state Department of Fish and Wildlife before departure. The best way to figure out what’s open and what’s not is to visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/ shellfish. Looking up the information online will save you the headache of wading through the state shellfish regulation hot line (866-880-5431). Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge sets its own seasons and rules. Contact the refuge at 360-457-8451. Licenses are required for shellfish harvesting and may be purchased at most tackle shops and a variety of multi-purpose stores.
Clamming
Razor clams are available on many coastal beaches, but domoic acid, a naturally occurring marine toxin that can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans, sometimes causes digging closures.
However, in recent years, beaches have routinely opened to harvesting. Kalaloch Beach, which runs along the south coast of the Peninsula off U.S. Highway 101, opened to digging several times during the 2009-10 season after being closed for two straight seasons because of poor clam populations. Other species of shellfish, including a variety of hardshell clams, are currently considered unsafe and should not be harvested from an beach on the state coastline. For the latest information on which shellfish are and are not safe, and dates and locations on seasons, call the state Department of Health’s beach closures/shellfish toxin hotline at 800-562-5632 and log onto the Fish and Wildlife website at wdfw.wa.gov.
Oysters
The best oyster beaches are along Hood Canal. Quilcene Bay on the Hood Canal is known for producing some of the Northwest’s most delicious oysters. To the south in Brinnon, oyster-gathering opportunities are also said to be excellent. Local seafood lovers know that beneath
the pebble and sand along the shore of the day-use Wolfe Property State Park, just north of the Hood Canal Bridge by a half mile, are mussels, steamer clams, geoducks and rock clams.
Crab and shrimp
Crab harvesting is typically best in Sequim and Dungeness bays, but Dungeness and red rock crabs can also be found elsewhere along the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Townsend to Neah Bay. You can catch crab by a variety of methods, including pots and ring traps. Many people enjoy wading for crabs on low tides at locations like Pillar Point and Dungeness Bay. Catch-record cards for Dungeness crab are required and available wherever licenses are sold. There are shrimping opportunities in Port Angeles Harbor and a few other areas. Hood Canal is easily the most popular shrimping destination. Normally the areas have short seasons and are only open certain days of each week. Hood Canal, for example, was only open four days in May 2010. Call ahead or consult www.wdfw.wa.gov to check on availability prior to your visit. n
• Modern 123 acre industrial park and manufacturing campus • 35 minutes from SEA-TAC Int’l Airport • 30 minutes from Victoria Int’l Airport • Corporate hanger sites available • Deep water port for int’l shipping • Business ready work force with local college for specialized training A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK
IS THAT BIG CITY OVERHEAD REDUCING YOUR BOTTOM LINE? CONSIDER RELOCATING TO THE PORT OF PORT ANGELES AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL PARK
Patrick Deja Marketing and Properties Manager
360 417 3435 patd@portofpa.com www.portofpa.com
0A5095016
Contact:
fall | winter 2010/2011 C Newcomers’ and visitors’ guide 65