Razor clam permit still required on Cook Inlet as September digging season runs on

Cook Inlet subsistence razor clam harvesters need a subsistence razor clam permit, not the household permit that covers sport and personal use digging, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game noted in its Lower Cook Inlet fishing report Friday.

The distinction matters because the household permit is new this year and has been the focus of most of the season's guidance. It requires one permit per household with every digger listed, and an online harvest report by Dec. 31 even from households that never dug, as Alaska News reported.

The department also reminded diggers to read the current emergency orders before heading out. East Cook Inlet beaches stay closed to sport and personal use clamming into 2027, and the fishery that remains is on the west side, reachable only by boat or plane.