OLYMPIA, Wash. — State shellfish managers have tentatively scheduled razor clam digs on ocean beaches for 12 days starting Mar. 16 and extending into late April.

Of these, only two additional days are scheduled for the Long Beach and Ocean Park area — on April 20 and April 21 in connection with the Razor Clam Festival.

Final approval will depend on whether results of marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife typically announces whether a dig will go forward about a week before the opening, said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the department.

Ayres noted the first three digs in March are on evening low tides, while those that follow are on morning low tides.

No digging is allowed before noon during evening digs and digging must be completed by noon during morning digs.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will consider additional dates later this spring if enough clams remain available for harvest, Ayres said. However, the department has been cutting back on digs in May to avoid possible disturbance of nesting endangered western snowy plovers.