OLYMPIA - State shellfish managers have approved a morning razor clam dig that will run April 24-30 at Twin Harbors beach and some of those days at three other ocean beaches.

Two beaches - Long Beach and Mocrocks - will be open to morning digging for four days and Copalis will be open for three days during the seven-day period. No digging will be allowed at any beach after noon.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin tests showed the clams on those beaches are safe to eat.

Digging dates, along with morning low tides, at the four beaches are as follows:
April 24, Wed., 6:10 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
April 25, Thurs., 6:54 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors
April 26, Fri., 7:38 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks, Copalis
April 27, Sat., 8:24 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks, Copalis
April 28, Sun., 9:11 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks, Copalis
April 29, Mon., 10:01 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks
April 30, Tues., 10:55 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors

To participate, diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2013-14 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses are available online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ ), by phone (1-866-320-9933) and from license dealers around the state.

By law, clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger's clams must be kept in a separate container.

State resource managers are cautioning clam diggers and other beachgoers to avoid disturbing western snowy plovers, which nest on the state's coastal beaches from April through August. The small white birds are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as threatened and by the state as endangered.

Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, said snowy plovers - and their eggs - are extremely vulnerable at this time of year because the birds nest in the dry sand.

"We urge clam diggers to be careful when driving on the beach or walking through the dunes," Ayres said. "Under state law, all vehicles are required to travel along the extreme upper limit of the hard sand. When in doubt, follow the path marked by multiple tire tracks."

He also asks that diggers avoid signed upland beach areas at Long Beach and Twin Harbors, which are closed to protect nesting western snowy plovers.

At Long Beach, the closed areas are located north of the Oysterville Road from the state park boundary north to Leadbetter Point. At Twin Harbors, the closed areas are located from just south of Midway Beach Road to the first beach-access trail at Grayland Beach State Park.