The clam population crashed on the east side of Cook Inlet about a decade ago and has been slow to bounce back.
An approximate 69% of adult razor clams at Ninilchik beaches and 84% at Clam Gulch beaches have died. The department said the cause of the high natural mortality rate of the clams remains unknown, but may be due to a combination of heavy surf, habitat changes, environmental stressor and predation.
This marks the sixth straight year of the personal-use razor clam shutdown.
A winter storm lashed the sandy beaches at the mouth of the Ninilchik River with ferocious waves, powerful enough to uproot thousands of razor clams.
Observations From Members 