Shellfish Harvest

“Digging for Dinner”….Washington’s coastal waters are full of life and waiting for discovery! Join us for an active day on the beach harvesting Manila clams, native littleneck and buttter clams, as well as Pacific oysters.

In 2025, we invite women to learn about bivalves (mollusks with hinged shells), where they live, why they are important for maintaining healthy coastal ecosystems, how to harvest them responsibly, and how to shuck those oysters correctly!

WDFW Puget Sound Intertidal Bivalve Manager – Clamzilla – will provide expert instruction on harvesting techniques, answer all your coastal questions, and share her most favorite recipes.

Grab your rubber boots, invite a friend and sign up for an amazing experience!

WHAT TO EXPECT: We will be outdoors for the entire workshop, rain or shine. Rubber boots are a must along with gloves that are heavy-weight, insulated and have a rough grip palm.  Please bring your own brown bag lunch.

PLEASE NOTE: Each student over 14 years of age must purchase a WDFW Shellfish/Seaweed License in advance of the workshop. The cost is $17.40/adult and $8.05/15 year old.

The registration deadline is June 1st or when the workshop fills.

The registration fee of $80 includes all instruction, a mesh bag to collect shellfish in, an oyster knife and refreshments. If you need to cancel after you have registered and paid, we can refund your $80 fee until June 1st minus the small Paypal processing fee.

ESSENTIALS TO BRING:

• Bring your Shellfish harvesting license
• Shellfish trowel, hand rake, utility tool for digging
• Bucket w/lid or small cooler for transporting your clams in fresh water (5-gallon bucket with tight-fitting lid, or cooler that can hold at least 3 gallons of water, for transporting your clams home in seawater – clams need at least 4 hours in clean seawater to purge themselves of grit and sand.)
• Knee-high rubber boots
• Gloves (for shucking, do not need to be insulated, rubber palmed are best, see the example here on Amazon)
• Warm, weather appropriate jacket w/ optional hat
• Re-usable freezer block to keep water cold on the way home. (People can use ice made from freshwater but this will reduce the salinity of the purging water, which is not ideal.)
• Lidded plastic container to hold shucked oysters (no glass on the beach, a large yogurt container is perfect)
• Kneeling pad (optional)
• Sunscreen and sunglasses
• Day pack, tote bag & water bottle

Event Timing: 12pm – 4pm
Registration/Check-In: 11:30am
Event Address: 18901 NE North Shore RdTahuya, WA 98588
Participants must be 14-years or older.
Registration confirmation is on a first-come, first serve basis.
A waiting list will be maintained.