CALIFORNIA 



Figure 2. — Production of Pacific oysters, Crassosslrea gigas. 

 on the U.S. Pacific coast. 



900 



eoo 



700 

 600- 

 500 

 400 

 300 

 200 

 100 



Figure 3.— Production of clams on the U.S. Pacific coast. 



dropped to about one-half million per year, and con- 

 tinues at about that level. 



CLAMS 



Several species of clams are harvested commer- 

 cially on the U.S. Pacific coast. The razor clam. 

 Siliqini patiihi (Dixon. 1788), and the Pismo clam, 

 Tivela stiiltorum (Mawe, 1823), occur on the open 

 wave-swept ocean beaches. Although both of these 

 species were originally harvested commercially, the 

 growing trend toward recreational fisheries has re- 

 sulted in a disappearing commercial fishery. Only a 

 few areas remain on the Washington coast where 

 commercial harvesting of razor clams is still permit- 

 ted; but each weekend during the open season up to 

 25.000 recreational diggers attack the beaches hop- 

 ing to obtain their limit of 18 clams each. 



Other species grouped in the category of "hard" 

 clams found in protected bays and inlets provide a 

 significant commercial fishery. Species include the 

 native littleneck or rock clam. Protothaca slamincci 

 (Conrad. 1837): the butter ch\m. Sa.\:iJ(>iniis niiliali 

 Conrad. 1837: and the introduced Japanese lit- 

 tleneck or ■■ Manila" clam. Tapes scnucleciisscita 

 (Reeve. 1864). 



The commercial demand for hard-shell clams is 

 very good and prices are high in comparison to oys- 

 ters. Production does not meet the demand and sig- 

 nificant quantities of hard-shell clams are imported 

 from British Columbia. Canada. There is very little 

 "farming" of these clams and production is based on 

 harvesting natural populations, principally upon 

 privately-ow ned or privately-leased intertidal lands. 



Clam production on the U.S. Pacific coast is cen- 

 tered in Washington with production ranging from 

 400.000 to nearly 1 million pounds of meats per year, 

 as shown in Figure 3. Although production has var- 

 ied during the past 20 yr. no clear production trend is 

 evident from these records which include all species 

 of clams. Decreases in commercial production of 

 razor clams are largely offset by increased harvests 

 of hard clams. 



The few protected bays and inlets along the 

 Oregon coast produced between 100.000 and 

 200.000 pounds of clam meats per year for the period 

 1948-55 and have since dropped to a lelativeK low 

 level. 



Commercial clam production in California was 

 never great and has been negligible in recent years. 



In both Oregon and California the tourist demand 

 for hard-shell clams, as well as razor and Pismo 

 clams, has utilized an increasing proportion of the 

 available supply. 



ANALYSIS OF TRENDS IN OYSTER 

 PRODUCTION 



There are several factors which help to explain the 

 decrease in production of Pacific oysters during the 

 past decade, as shown on Figure 4. .\ major factoi- is 

 the limited U.S. market for oysters. The United 

 States per capita consumption of fisherv products 

 generally has remained nearly static for a number of 

 years at about 1 I pounds, and per capita cimsiimp- 

 lion of oysters during ihis period has acIualK de- 

 creased. There has been little or no market promo- 



90 



