The first razor clam dig of the season opens Friday with digging at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Copalis. Mocrocks and Kalaloch will open Saturday. Kalaloch is opening after being closed the last two seasons because of low clam populations.

Evening digs are set for Friday through Monday at Twin Harbors, Friday through Sunday at Long Beach and Copalis and Saturday and Sunday at Mocrocks and Kalaloch.

Digging at all beaches will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight, said Dan Ayres, state coastal shellfish manager.

Best digging: The best time to start digging is an hour or two before low tide, said Ayres. The tide times for this opening are Friday, 5:50 p.m. -0.5 feet; Saturday, 6:38 p.m., -0.8 feet; Sunday, 7:23 p.m., -1.1feet; and Monday, 8:06 p.m., -1.1 feet.

Toxin levels: While toxin levels are below levels where beaches would be closed, Ayres said he was a bit surprised to see paralytic shellfish poison levels so high at Twin Harbors. The state had been watching levels at Long Beach after Oregon shut its beaches because PSP levels were too high. Testing done at three sites at Twin Harbors showed levels ranging from 54 to 70 micrograms per 100 grams. The safety level is 80 micrograms per 100 grams.

“We have found the PSP-causing (plankton) in our surf-zone plankton monitoring off both beaches,” he said.

Domoic acid levels are well below the safety threshold at all the beaches.

Limits: Harvesters can take no more than 15 razor clams and must keep the first 15 they dig, regardless of size or condition. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

Licenses: A license is required for anyone age 15 or older. Any 2009 annual shellfish/seaweed license or combination fishing license is still valid. Another option is a razor-clam only license available in annual or three-day only versions. For license descriptions, go to fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. Also, it’s best to get your license before you leave for the beach.

Next dig: The state has tentatively set the next dig for Nov. 4 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors; Nov. 5 at Twin Harbors only; Nov. 6 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors; and Nov. 7 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors.

Beach boundaries

Long Beach: From the Columbia River to Leadbetter Point.

Twin Harbors: From the mouth of Willapa Bay north to the south jetty at the mouth of Grays Harbor.

Copalis: From the Grays Harbor north jetty to the Copalis River, and includes the Copalis, Ocean Shores, Oyhut, Ocean City and Copalis areas.

Mocrocks: From the Copalis River to the southern boundary of the Quinault Reservation near the Moclips River, including Iron Springs, Roosevelt Beach, Pacific Beach and Moclips.

Kalaloch: From the South Beach Campground to Brown’s Point (just south of Beach Trail 3) in the Olympic National Park.