Clatsop Beach Razor Clam Fishery Public Meeting Oct 22, 2018 Matt - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Clatsop Beach Razor Clam Fishery

Public Meeting Oct 22, 2018

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Resources Program

Matt Hunter, Shellfish Biologist / Astoria

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Resources Program

Meeting Agenda

Present:

• Pacific razor clam life history
• Past and current fishery monitoring work
• Past and current Clatsop Beach stock assessment
• Situation analysis for the delay in season opening for 2018
• Gather public feedback to protect juvenile razor clams and

provide better harvest opportunities (= decrease wastage)

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Pac acific Raz azor Clam am Siliqua pat at ula

I n a a clam am -sh shel ell

• Range from Aleutian Islands of

Alaska to the central coast of California

• Genetically singular population
• Prefer flat, low sloped sandy
• cean beaches and inlets
• Uniform sediment= stability
• Require high oxygen and salinity
• Highly mobile vertically
• Similar life history with other

PNW bivalves

• Broadcast spawning
• Veliger larvae
• Rapid first year of growth
• Mature by second year
• Max age varies along range

 Grow up to 3.5 inches in YR 1  Growth occurs in the spring / summer  Growth slows = produce gametes  Historic harvest primarily aged 1-2 YR

Oregon Distribution

Coa

• ast t o
• coa
• ast
• Found along entire coast with suitable habitat
• Over 90% of population on northern most 18 miles

known as Clatsop Beach

• Southern populations are spatially sporadic and

temporally episodic

• Lack of sediment uniformity
• Increased recruitment mortality
• Consistent abundance on Clatsop Beach
• Native American middens
• Late 1800’s settler wagon trails
• Infrastructure development increased opportunity
• Economically and culturally important to the PNW

Resource Monitoring

Scien ence e on t he e sa sand

• Clatsop Beach has commercial and

recreational fisheries

• Commercial monitored 1941
• Recreational monitored 1955
• Numerous regulation changes
• Commercial size limits

 Down-up-down (3.75”)

• Recreational bag limits

 Continual decrease to 15

• Season structure

 Summer conservation

• Harvest implement restriction

 Commercial-shovel  Recreational-tube size

• License/Permits

 Commercial-permit  Recreational-license

Annual Total Harvest

Da Dat a o

• n t

n t he he sand nd

• Cyclical in nature
• Abundance driven
• Set strength
• El Nino relationship
• Increase harvest

 Multiple lag year

• Decrease harvest

 Shorter lag

• Other factors
• Smaller geographic

anomalies

 Wind stress  Currents

• Biotoxin closures
• More frequent
• During large abundance

Clams

Annual Clatsop Beach Razor Clam Total Harvest

Seasons closed due to biotoxins

Record Harvest 2016

Harvest Use

Wher ere e t he e clam s g s go

• Change of use through time
• Commercial until 1950s
• Drastic switch to Recreational
• Infrastructure improved
• Priority to leisure time

 Baby boom

generation

• Increase in visitors
• Tourist destination
• Economic value
• Consistent thru time
• High abundance increases

commercial

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Proportion of Clatsop Beach Razor Clam Use

Rec. Comm

Average Razor Clam Harvest (1958-2018):

• 85% Recreational
• 15% Commercial

Abundance Assessment

Scien ence e in t he e sa sand

• The standard process used to assess

razor clam populations in the PNW

• Initiated in 2004
• Clatsop Beach only
• 10-12 transects annually
• Informational

 Recruitment  Cohort survival

• Abundance is cyclical and dependent

upon juvenile cohort.

• Historic abundance
• Ranges from .17 to 2.5 clams/m2
• Large abundance 2014-15
• Record effort and harvest 2016

1.12 1.35 0.77 0.21 1.33 1.05 0.17 0.94 0.72 0.17 2.30 2.53 1.21 0.46 0.90 0.61 0.94 0.46 0.14 0.59 0.74 0.08 0.77 0.45 0.01 1.40 1.00 0.39 0.01 0.62 0.51 0.41 0.31 0.07 0.74 0.31 0.09 0.17 0.27 0.16 0.90 1.53 0.82 0.45 0.28

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Razor Clams/m2

Annual Clatsop Beach Razor Clam Abundance

Total Juvenile Mature

• Spatially abundance is

significantly different

• North and south ends of

Clatsop beach exhibit high abundance

• Overall robust abundance

equally distributed

• Depressed abundance is

unequally distributed

• Average size is fairly

consistent

Abundance on the Beach:

Wher ere e are e t he e clam s? s?

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

Shell Length (mm)

Transect North South

Density Clam/M2

Oregon Clatsop Beach Razor Clam

Average Abundance and Size by Transect; 2004-2018 Clam/M2 Length

What did 2018 provide?

Sho how us us t he he clam s!

• Average abundance
• Unequal distribution

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Razor clams/m2 Transect

Clatsop Beach Razor Clam Population Distribution 2018

All Clams

Peter Iredale Camp Rilea Sunset Del Rey Gearhart Seaside

North

What did 2018 provide?

Sho how us us t he he clam s!

• Average abundance
• Unequal distribution
• Small size frequency

distribution

0% 5% 10% 15% % Frequency Length (mm)

Oregon Clatsop Beach Razor Clam

Assessment Size Frequency Distribution-2018

n=204

• Ave. Size (mm)= 67.6
• Ave. Size (in.) = 2.66

2007-2018

• Ave. Rec. Harvest Size (mm)= 109.8
• Ave. Rec. Harvest Size (in)= 4.32

Commercial Min. Size 2018

• Ave. Size (mm)= 115.0
• Ave. Size (in)= 4.5

What did 2018 provide?

Sho how us us t he he clam s!

• Average abundance
• Unequal distribution
• Small size frequency distribution
• Late but successful spawning

event in 2017

• Modeled a simulation of expected

catch for all 4 years

• 100 harvesters digging the first

15 clams in October

• Results were very similar to size

frequencies

• Harvest would be dominated by

2-3 inch clams

• 2015 and 2016 populations were

robust with equal size distribution

• 2017 showed a lack of recruitment

and a population skewed heavily to larger clams

• 2018 is highly skewed to smaller

clams with very few moderate or large clams

How 2018 Stacks Up

To r rec ecen ent m em em ory

• Modeled a simulation of expected

catch for all 4 years

• 100 harvesters digging the first

15 clams in October

• Results were very similar to size

frequencies

• Harvest would be dominated by

2-3 inch clams

• 2015 and 2016 populations were

robust with equal size distribution

• 2017 showed a lack of recruitment

and a population skewed heavily to larger clams

• 2018 is highly skewed to smaller

clams with very few moderate or large clams

How 2018 Stacks Up

To r rec ecen ent m em em ory

Current Season Status for 2018

Managem em en ent st st ep eps

• ODFW identified unusual size distribution
• Population dominated by 2-3 inch clams
• Analyzed data and modeled potential harvest
• Estimated harvest was low vs. spring - but not

insignificant

Fishery Monitoring 2002-2018 Recreational Catch Commercial Catch Average Harvest 99,286 clams 2,385 lbs Average Effort 10,578 trips 197 landings

2018 Oct thru Dec Estimated Harvest

Current Season Status for 2018

Managem em en ent st st ep eps

• ODFW identified unusual size distribution
• Population dominated by 2-3 inch clams
• Analyzed data and modeled potential harvest
• Estimated harvest was low vs. spring – but not

insignificant

• Potential for wastage was very high

Current Season Status for 2018

Managem em en ent st st ep eps

• ODFW identified unusual size distribution
• Population dominated by 2-3 inch clams
• Analyzed data and modeled potential harvest
• Estimated harvest was low vs. spring – but not

insignificant

• Potential for wastage was very high
• WDFW Long Beach fishery closed until late Dec
• ODFW Enacted temporary rule to delay opening
• Season opening delayed until at least Nov 1st, 2018
• Meeting for feedback on how to proceed

Fishery Monitoring 2002-2018 Recreational Catch Commercial Catch

Average Harvest 99,286 clams 2,385 lbs Average Effort 10,578 trips 197 landings

2018 Oct thru Dec Estimated Harvest

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Resources Program

• Est. Age (month)

Shell Length (mm) Shell Length (in) 3 10-20 .4-.8 6 35 1.4 12 90 3.5 18 100 3.9 24 110 4.3 30 115 4.5 36 130 5.1 48 135 5.3 60 140 5.5

Devising a Plan

What ’s s Nex ext ?

• Razor clams won’t be bigger by Nov. 1
• Most will still not be over 3.5 inches by
• Jan. 1
• By Mar 1, most will be 3.5 inches
• By Apr 1, will be between 3.5-4 inches

The Future

The w orld is o

• ur c

clam !

ODFW Temporary Rule Expires

Option 1: Open the season November 1st Option 2: Further delay after November 1st I f so, for how long?

St af aff Recom m endat at ion: Marc arch 1, 2019 2019 for bigger clam s

Option 3: Other suggestions

Plea ease se provide e your inp nput ut

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission

I nform at at ional Present at at ion

Dec 7th, 2018 at the Salem ODFW HQ Comments/ Questions?

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Resources Program