As razor clam season ramps up, northern counties worry clammers will bring higher rates of COVID-19 to coastal communities
Lawmakers in Oregon’s two northernmost coastal counties want clamming season closed. They've asked both the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Gov. Kate Brown’s office to shut it down, but thus far, their request has been denied.
They fear that later this week, when exceptional minus tides reveal clam beds, their communities will be inundated with commercial clam diggers from Washington state, where fishing and shellfishing seasons are already closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They also worry inlanders looking for an outdoor escape may once again head for the coast, just as they did during spring break, only this time to dig for clams.
Many coastal residents were frustrated over spring break when tourists crowded local beaches, neighborhoods and businesses while locals stayed indoors, practicing social distancing, Tillamook County Chair Bill Baertlein told Street Roots. And, many visitors, he suspects, came from Washington, which put in place a stay-home order before Oregon's governor issued one for her state.
"We have 7,000 vacation homes and rentals in Tillamook, and I swear, every one of them was packed to the gills," Baertlein said.
Another influx of people from Washington state and the Willamette Valley, where reported cases of COVID-19 are more prevalent, could bring higher rates of infection to the coast. As of Tuesday morning, there were just four confirmed cases in Clatsop County and three in Tillamook County.
“This week is some of the best minus tides we’re going to have,” Baertlein said. “This is an immediate concern.”
There are only about a half-dozen good minus, which are exceptionally low tides, per year, he said, and this week’s minus tides on April 9, 10 and 11 will be accompanied by dry, mildly warm weather, according to forecasts.
“Our only hospital has 25 beds for a population of 26,000,” Baertlein stated in a letter he sent to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on April 3. “Allowing the clam season to continue will put every one of these residents at additional risk and adds to the potential of overwhelming our medical facilities.”
He said that during a recent phone call among government agencies along the coast, he learned Facebook posts are circulating among commercial clam harvesters in Washington that indicate there is a coordinated plan to rush Tillamook’s closed boat launches in order to gain access to its beaches.
In response to requests from coastal city and county lawmakers that Brown close the season, her north coast coordinator, Jennifer Purcell, said to them in an email she sent this past Friday that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife would “be monitoring the situation over the weekend, assessing adherence with social distancing requirements, and plans to revisit decision-making next week.”
As of Monday, the department indicated it had no plans to close the season.
“From what we saw this weekend, people are complying with social distancing guidelines. We will continue to monitor clamming, crabbing, fishing and hunting seasons,” said department spokesperson Michelle Dennehy in an email to Street Roots.
Both Clatsop and Tillamook counties have closed all county-owned beach access points and parking lots. In Clatsop County, beach closures include state parks and waysides but locals cannot close public beaches, only access points to them.
In an emailed reply to Purcell, Baertlein didn’t mince words:
“We can’t stop clamming but we can stop all access on County owned property to the clam beds. We will be enforcing the closure. I would also suggest that anyone wanting access to the clam beds not trespass on private property. The natives are in a foul mood, as is this County Commissioner.”
Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) said Oregon’s Coastal Caucus, made up of state legislators representing districts up and down the coast, discussed the potential closure of Oregon's clamming season. She said the caucus did not object. For one, she said, if Clatsop and Tillamook counties successfully close off clamming, it would likely just push the problem farther south.
But there were other reasons as well, she said. "Is it fair for Oregonians to be following the rules and staying home and having this group of people from Washington who are not allowed on their beaches to come down and clam here?" she asked.
Another concern is the stripping of Oregon's clam resources. She said if Washington clammers were allowed to come down and "gobble up all the resource, what happens to the stocks of razor clams? Especially when people are harvesting in a frenzy and they are not as concerned about size and numerical limits."
Alternately, Johnson pointed out many commercial and recreational clammers in Clatsop County are angry they cannot access the beaches due to access point closures, and they have called her to let her know how they feel. Some of these local clammers may be relying on clamming income more, now that other sources of income have disappeared, she said.
UPDATE, April 10: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced in a press release Thursday that it is "closing recreational hunting, fishing, crabbing and clamming to non-residents due to concerns about travel to Oregon to participate in these outdoor activities. Such travel could spread the virus and put more of a burden on Oregon’s rural communities."
The ban begins Saturday, April 11. Oregon residents may still go clam digging, but are encouraged not to travel long distances and to maintain social distancing.
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