DAYLIGHT IS JUST getting going these days at 7 a.m., my usual hour of wakefulness.
I’m always warm so typically I keep my northwest-facing sliding glass door open at night, at least partially, to the elements to provide for fresh air and cool breezes.
Greeted with overcast skies, chillier temperatures and most conspicuously, the smell of wood-smoke from neighborhood fireplaces one recent morning, I knew the season had tipped toward the autumnal.
Other factors at play in my assumption included my sorcerer pumpkin plants finally bearing two viable prospects for jack-o-lanterns and the subtle turn toward yellow of the birch thicket next door.
A turn toward cider, pumpkin pie, football on television five nights per week and meaningful Friday night football games at North Olympic Peninsula stadiums — what’s not to love?
The finale of the season’s salmon runs, hunting season transitioning from archery-only to muzzleloader to modern firearm, and fungus, heaps of fungus, await over the next month.
Another season also is slated to kick off in October: the return of razor clamming to coastal beaches.
And it should be a good one, at least for four of five typically harvested beaches.
“Based on our assessments, the razor clam populations on some beaches exceed the near record levels found in 2013,” state Department of Fish and Wildlife coastal shellfish manager Dan Ayres said.
“We expect the 2014-15 season to be just as good — if not better than last year.”
Fish and Wildlife biologists and tribal co-managers started sampling the 58 miles of razor clam habitat in May and continued the survey until Aug. 25.
They utilize a “pumped area” method, where water from the surf or lagoons is used to liquefy the sand within the area of a ½-meter aluminum ring.
During a three-minute pump, every clam within the area of the ring will float to the surface and can be counted in the random sampling.
Clams range in size from large adults (6 inches and more) down to juvenile clams as small as 5 milimeters that have just settled in the sand from the larval stage.
This sampling allows biologists to estimate the number of recruit-sized clams, i.e., those ready for harvest, and the pre-recruit clams.
Each of the five managed beaches is sampled with randomly selected transect points about one mile apart.
Samples are taken during low tide and begin at the top of the razor clam bed and move out to the edge of the surf.
Six sample rings are pumped at 50-foot intervals.
Unfortunately, Kalaloch, the North Olympic Peninsula razor clam beach, is again not likely to offer up enough clams to create a season.
No recreational harvests have occurred at Kalaloch since 2011-12, and even then just 2,952 clams were kept, a drop in the bucket of the state’s total yield.
This year’s sampling produced 990,040 recruit clams at Kalaloch, 43,000 fewer than in 2013.
Fish and Wildlife does not have a reason for the continued low density of razor clams at Kalaloch.
The recruit clams biologists did find averaged 3.8 inches, with samplers noting “Very few large clams were found in our assessment work.”
Preseason razor clamming prospects:
■ Long Beach: The preseason count of 9.69 million clams is a near record, and the outlook is good for the near future. Sizeable numbers can be found from Klipsan on north up the Long Beach Peninsula.
■ Twin Harbors: The preseason count is 6.66 million clams, the highest since 1997 and 13 percent better than last season. There are strong populations from the Grays Harbor county line north.
■ Copalis: Population numbers are down nearly two million for of the most popular beaches, from 7.47 million clams last year to 5.68 million projected for this season.
The strongest clam conclaves are expected around Ocean City and Copalis.
■ Mocrocks: A preseason count of 11.2 million clams is the second-highest count in the last 18 years, and second only to last season.
Should be solid clamming from Pacific Beach to Moclips.
Comment on clams
Fish and Wildlife is accepting public comments on digging days, catch limits and other management options for the upcoming razor clam season.
Suggestions for the 2014-15 season, which is tentatively set to begin the second week of October, can be sent by email to razorclams@dfw.wa.gov or to Razor Clams, 48 Devonshire Road, Montesano, WA 98563.
Comments regarding fall digging opportunities must be received by Sept. 23,
For more on how the state assesses razor clam populations, visit tinyurl.com/PDN-razornumbers.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
