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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2017)
LAUGH OUT LOUD AT CANNON BEACH COMEDY FEST COAST WEEKEND • INSIDE DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 225 ONE DOLLAR DI GING OUT MARINE TOXIN INCREASINGLY THREATENS RAZOR CLAMMING Moratorium possible on homestay lodging Astoria struggles with ‘Wild West’ rentals By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Luke Whittaker/ EO Media Group Thousands flocked to Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula beaches to dig for razor clams at the end of April. By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian O regon is closed to razor clam dig- ging for the rest of the month, and researchers believe such closures could become a regular occurrence as they see the number of harmful algal blooms recorded in recent years increase. R oughly 95 percent of razor clam dig- ging in the state occurs on the relatively fl at Clatsop County beaches between the Columbia River and Seaside, where razor clam populations are the most stable. A record 2.1 million razor clams were har- vested in the county last year. This season, though, the state’s beaches have remained closed to diggers. Recent test results show levels of the marine toxin domoic acid remain high in razor clams and, in some cases, have actu- ally gone up. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, with the state Department of Agri- culture, must now cycle through another two sample periods. Only if both of those periods result in “clean” razor clams will the state consider opening the beaches to diggers. “So pretty much May is gone,” said Matt Hunter, a Department of Fish and Wildlife shellfi sh and phytoplankton project leader based in Astoria. For the p ast 20 years, since domoic acid was fi rst documented on the West Coast in 1991, the blooms have followed somewhat predictable patterns. In Oregon and Washington state, they would appear in the fall, sometimes the spring, and then disappear again after a few weeks. “Then, in 2015,” said Kathi Lefebvre, a research biologist with NOAA Fisher- ies’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center, “Bam!” The largest harmful algal bloom ever recorded struck the West Coast. See TOXIN, Page 7A The Astoria City Council believes a mor- atorium on new applications could be neces- sary to curb a growing number of vacation rentals based out of people’s homes while the city considers whether to allow or forbid the practice . At a work session Wednesday morning, a majority of the council agreed the city needs more time to consider its options and city staff needs to bring people who are currently operating such rentals illegally into compli- ance without juggling new applications at the same time. “It’s been the ‘Wild West’ out there for home stays,” said Councilor Tom Brownson, “so we’re just in the process, in this environ- ment, of coming to terms with it and trying to fi gure it out.” See MORATORIUM, Page 7A Arch Cape design review committee clings to life Luke Whittaker/ EO Media Group Long Beach Tavern owners Carol and Jim Majors took first place in the clam chow- der competition. More photos available online at DailyAstorian.com County still intends to dissolve panel By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Following a contentious public hear- ing, a decision to nix the Arch Cape Design Review Committee has been tabled, though its dissolution may be inevitable. The Clatsop County Board of Commis- sioners voted 4-1 Wednesday night in favor of an ordinance to dissolve the committee, but needed unanimous approval since the vote was called immediately following the public hearing. Another vote likely will take place at the board’s meeting later this month , which will require a simple majority to pass. See ARCH CAPE, Page 7A Luke Whittaker/ EO Media Group Most dressed for the weather, but some came dressed for the occasion at the Ra- zor Clam Festival in Long Beach, Wash., at the end of April. BY THE NUMBERS 95 2.1M 2015 30 roughly the percent of razor clam digging in the state that occurs on Clatsop County beaches between the Columbia River and Seaside the record amount of razor clams that were harvested in Clatsop County last year the year the largest harmful algal bloom ever recorded struck the West Coast the number of large whales that died in the western Gulf of Alaska during the big algal bloom of 2015 Lyra Fontaine/The Daily Astorian Residents in Arch Cape have fought to save a design review committee. Whale calf died after getting tangled in crab lines Migrating north to Arctic waters EO Media Group Cascadia Research A dead whale calf was examined by researchers on May 4 after being towed to an island in the Columbia estuary. LONG BEACH , Wash. — An entangled gray whale calf died after being caught in crab pot lines, Olympia-based sci- ence group Cascadia Research Collective reported following an examination. The whale, a 20-foot-7-inch male born this calving season, was initially reported dead in late April , anchored in place half a mile off of the Seaview beach approach. On May 1, it was discovered the whale was entangled in apparent commer- cial crab pot gear, researchers said. T he whale was towed to a remote island inside the mouth of the Columbia River. A necropsy last week showed the whale was at the age when mothers with calves migrate north from their winter breeding and calving grounds in Baja to feeding areas primar- ily in Arctic waters. This migra- tion is often close to shore and through commercial crabbing grounds. “The whale was entangled in numerous areas including through the mouth and showed bruising around these areas indicating it was alive when it became entangled ( and) had died as a result of the entan- glement,” researchers said. “The whale was in excellent body condition with a large and oily blubber layer and even fat reserves around the heart all indicating it had been in good health prior to experiencing a more sudden death. Many of the internal organs were decomposed likely as a result of rapid decomposition due to the insulating blubber layer.” W hale entanglements have increased in recent years along the West Coast, most dramati- cally with humpback whales off California, and have been of growing concern, according to See WHALE, Page 7A