Commercial harvest of razor clams uses hand shovels almost exclusively. Razor clams are dug by hand from the sand at low tide. An experienced digger sticks the blade of the shovel two or three inches in front of a clam “show.” The digger then twists the handle to loosen the sand, pulls the shovel straight out of the sand, and immediately reaches their hand into the hole to grab the clam before it has a chance to dig deeper. The digger gently tosses the clam between their legs, where they drag a large surf sack to hold the clams. The digger then moves to the next “show.” Razor clams are washed before selling. A good commercial digger can harvest 300-400 pounds or more of razor clams (there are three to four clams per pound on average) during a four-hour dig.
~ Courtesy of Quinault Indian Nation Fisheries Department