SHELLFISH INVESTIGATIONS PROGRESS REPORT NO. 3 7 April 1, 1965 - March 31, 1966 • Fish Commission of Oregon Research Division September 1966 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. INTRODUCTION. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 PERSONNEL CHANGES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 REPORTS PREPARED. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 .BAY CLAMS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 Bay clam surveys. • • • • • • • • • • • • 3 Neb lem Bay. • • • • • • • • 3 Til amook Bay •••• o •• • • • • • • • • 3 Net rts Bay. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5 N stucca Bay •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5 Salmon and Siletz Rivers • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 Yaq ina Bay. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 Alsea Bay •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 Siuslaw Bay •••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 Ump ua B y •••• • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 Coos Bay ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 Coq ille River • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 Summary of Surveys • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 Clam introduction • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9 Growth studies. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9 Life history studies. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9 General • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10 RAZOR CLA S 0 • • • • • " • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10 Person 1-use harvest;. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10 ' - Age composition • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10 Public relations • . • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 11 Law enforcement ••• 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 11 Beach urveys • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13 Cannon Beach Area. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13 Meyers Creek Beach • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13 Commer ial fishery. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 CRABS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 Cooperative c~ises • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 Mating behavior studies • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 Condition sampling. • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • 17 Crab 1 rvae rearing • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17 Commercial production • • • • • • • • • • • • • 18 General • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • 18 ABALONE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 19 OYSTERS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 19 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 19 • • • • • • • • • • • • 20 20 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ,. TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd.) Page No. INTERTIDAL ANIMALS. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21 Classification. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21 Intertidal surveys• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . 21 Pe~its • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21 General • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21 MISCELLANEOUS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • 22 LIST 0 FIGURES Figure No ., Page No . 1. Age composition of the 1964-()5 p,ersonal- se razor clam harvest on Clatsop Co~nty beaches..................................... 12 2~ A~e composition of commercially harveated razor clams, 1965... 16 LIST F TABLES Table No. 1. Shel lfish personnel, April 1, 1965-March 31, 1966. ........... 2 2. Reports submitted by the shellfish staff, April 1, 1965· March 31, 1966 •••••• ~···•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 2 3. Clam beds surveyed and species of major importance... ........ 4 4. Personal-use harvest of razor clams. by · area from Clatsop beaches, April-September 1965 ••• ~• •• ••••••••••• • •••••••••••••• 11 S. Razor clam beaehe• sur~ed along the Oregon co st in 1965..... 14 INTRODUCTION During the. report period the shellfish staff moved from the off ees maintained f or many years on the waterfront to the new Marine Science Cent r built by Oregon State University. Facilities available in the new quarters have greatly expand•d opportunities for research by the investigation. T e se ere flooding in December 1964 and January 1965 and the observed mortal ty to certain species of clams required intense investigation of the bay clam esource by the entire staff during the summer of 1965.!/ Con. equently, all available manpower was put on clam-bed and catch per uni t of ef ort surveys to detar.mine the effect of the flood on clam populations. Two new programs wer initiated under f ederal funding, on to study crab larval rearing techniques and the other oyster mortality. These funds present opportunit! a for research never available to the investigation before. PERSONNEL CHANGES Shellfish personnel and changes during the report period appear in Tabl 1~ There were no changes in the permanent staff during this period, however, two new men ~er e added in order to f i ll vacancies created by federal fun ing. REPORTS PREPARED Report completed and distributed or submitted for publication appear in Table 2. BAY CLAMS Bay clam work centered around intensive survey of 11 bays to etermine the effect of flooding, trial introduction of Manila littleneck clam from Washington, growth studies, and life history work on selected sp cie • !/ See Progress Report No. 36. Table lo Shellfish personnel, April 1, 1965- March 31, 1966. Name Employ"ed Date terminat d or transferred Charles D. Snow 7-18-55 Darrell Demory 6-14-61 Waldem r D B n 10-28-63 John R. Neilsen 6-10-64 Paul H. R ed 12- 1-65 A lao Kais r 1-10-66 Keith J ohnson 6-14-65· 9-30-65 Ronald Lyttle 6-11-65 9- 3-65 Ta le 2. Reports submit ed by the shellfish staff, April 1, 1965-March 31, 1966. Information ~eports Demory , Darrell June 1965. Razor Clam Wastage and its Control. June 1965. Results of Preliminary Aquarium Studies with Razor Clams. September 1965. The 1964 Clatso Beach Person 1-Use Razor Clam Fishery. September 1965. Revised Razor Cl am Wastage Estimate for Clatsop Beaches. October 19 5. The 1965 PersonaloUse Razor Clam Fishery. December 1965. 1965 Razor Clam Surveys. Snow, Cb rles D. October 1965. Extension of Neptune State Park Northern Boundary f or Protection of Inter-tidal Inv rtebrates. December 1965. Oyster Seed lmports. Report s for publication Demory, Darrell. Drift Bottle Study. Snow, Charle D. and John R. Neils n. Pre-mating and Mating Behavior of the Dungeness Crab (Cancer magister Dana). 3. Bay lam surveys Bay clam surveys were conducted on all Oregon estuaries that contain clams. These surveys are made annually or semi-annually to determine trends in populations. Each survey is condueted as nearly as possible over the exact area of previous surveys by running compass courses from azimuth readings dete~ined in previous years. Thes surveys are not meant to yield exact populations1 but rather to establish trends.of increasing or declining abundance. Bays and species surveyed •ppear in Table 3. Neb lem Bay The softshell clam population in Nehalem Bay continues to remain at a relatively high level of bundance. Examination of 3,300 square feet re­ vealed a density of 0.15 clams per square foot. However, of some concern is the presence of a population of ghos~ shrtmp (Calianassa californiensis) tha.t is encroaching on ·the e1818 beds. The . effect of this encroacbm t will be closely monitored. Tillamook Bay In Tillamook Bay the clam beds at Garibaldi were surveyed for gaper, cockle, littleneck, and Washington clams and the Wilson-Kilehis river mud fl ts for softshell clams. The populat.ion of all species of clams on the Garibaldi clam flats, ~th the exception of cockles, was excellent. The rocky substrate in thi area re­ duces the accuracy of feel counts, consequently a series of random "digouts" were conducted in thts area. A series of areas containing 2S square feet were dug ·out and all materials sorted for clams. The results of tbes~ "digouts" revealed 1.64 clams per square foot, pr dominantly Washington (Saxidomus) and littleneck clams. 4. ab e 3 o Clam ads urveyed and species of major i mportance. Sl!ecieS!1 Gaper Cockle Soft shell Washington Littleneck Nehalem X Tillamook X X X X X N tarts X p p X X N stucc X Salmon X Sil t& X Yaquina X X p p p Siuslaw X Umpqua X Coos X p p p p Coquille X y X Specie surveyed for abundance. p Sp cie known to be present but no estimate of abundance madeo Personalause disgers in this rea were also checked for digging a ccess and origin. A total of 319 clam digger were eh eked with 8,414 clams of all specie for an average of 22.9 cl per digger. Sixty- o p r cent o these clam digger were from areas other than Tillamook County. Softsh 1 clams in Tillamook Bay were found in abundance and aver ged O.SO cl s pe square foot which compares quite closely with 0.59 clam per square foot found in 1963. Cockles n Tillamook Bay, though suffering some mort ality during he flood, still are ava lable in fair bundance in th s ndy are s of the b Y• No com- parativ figu es are av ilable for this species, but limits were obtained with relative ease by people looking for this species. s. Netarts Bay The Net rts Bay survey was conducted pr rily to determine: (1) clam digger succe s; (2) productive areas; (3) areas in which habitat improvement studies could be initiated; and (4) origin of clam diggers utilizing the shellfish resource. Digouts in s leeted areas rev aled a density of 0.58 elaas per square foot which t~ considered good. During two minus tides 331 diggers w e ob• served on th cl am flats and 132 of the e people w re int rvi wed. Cl am digger interviewed averaged 13.5 clams per person, the majority of ich wer gaper clams. Eighty-six per cent of these people were from areas other than Tillamook Co ty. Interviews at Cape Lookout St te Park revealed that the park has an verage population of 200 people per day during June, July, and August. The majority of these people dig clams during periods of minus tides. Undoubtedly