One of the joys of living and recreating in the rural Pacific Northwest is taking the time to harvest your own food. Here on the Canal there are ample opportunities to gather seafood, mushrooms, and other forest products, and we strongly recommend you give it a shot.
Please keep in mind that this is a general guide and may contain outdated information. Before attempting any of these activities please double check with the appropriate government agency.
1. Oysters & Clams
Hood Canal is famous world-wide for its shellfish, and oysters from the Canal sell for as much as $3 each in fine restaurants across the country. While many of the beaches up and down the Canal are privately owned and commerically farmed, there are also public beaches where visitors can go to harvest their own oysters and clams.
Before you go: 1) Find a public beach (all the State Parks have public beaches) and double check with the Washington State Department of Health to make sure that the beach is open (call the shellfish safety hotline at 800-562-5632). 2) Check the tide tables to see when the tide is low (generally a zero tide or lower is necessary). 3) Buy a recreational shellfish license, available either online from the Department of Health or from the IGA in Hoodsport. 4) Familiarize yourself with the State’s harvest rules and regulations, available here.
Things to Bring: For clams, you’ll need a rake and a bucket. If you’re after oysters, you’ll need a shucking knife, a glove, and something to shuck the oysters into, because it’s illegal to harvest oysters in the shell from public beaches. And whether you want to harvest or just hang out, wear your sturdiest rubber boots when you venture out on the flats!
Resources: Washington State Department of Health (for licenses, closure info, maps, etc), Hama Hama Seafood Store (for help in species identification & preparation tips), Hoodsport Grocery (licenses), Hood Canal Outfitters (equipment, gear, etc)
2. Crab & Shrimp
Fresh & delicious Hood Canal spot prawns and dungeness crab are also available to harvest, although only to people with access to a boat.
Before you go: Buy a license online, check the tides and seasons, and figure out where you’re going to launch your boat (you might consider Twanoh or Potlatch State Parks). The recreational shrimp season is very limited: the season starts the first Saturday in May, then continues on the following Wednesday, then the second Saturday, then the following Wednesday. Your pots can only be in the water from 9 am to 1 pm, and you’re only allowed 80 shrimp per person. (Be sure to double check the regulations first, though, to make sure they haven’t changed!) Check with the Washington State DFW to see when the Hood Canal crab season starts, as it varies year to year.
Things to Bring: You’ll need either a shrimp pot or a crab pot depending on your prey, plus an appropriate amount of line and a buoy. Most Hood Canal locals use canned cat food as shrimp bait and salmon carcasses for crab bait. You’ll also need standard safety gear: life jackets, gloves, etc. A depth finder will greatly improve your chances of not losing a pot, and checking in with the Army Corps of Engineers “Hazards to Navigation” department (206-764-3400) will help you boat safely.
Resources: Pots, bait, buoys, and line can be purchased at most gas stations around the Canal as well as at the IGA in Hoodsport, or you can buy direct from the manufacturers at McKay’s in Brinnon. There are public boat launches at Potlatch and Triton Cove State Parks.
3. Mushrooms
There are several species of edible mushrooms that grow in the woods around Hood Canal. The most popular, and ubiquitous, is the chanterelle mushroom, which can be found from late August through early October, depending on the year.
Before you go: Call the Quilcene Ranger Station (360-765-2200) to ask about where to pick and receive updated road closure information. Read the Olympic National Forest’s guide to recreational mushroom harvest, found here. While you don’t need a permit for incidental gathering of mushrooms for personal use, there are certain rules that you need to follow. It’s illegal to harvest with anything except a knife or scissors, and mushrooms must be cut off at ground level. For a single species, the daily limit for personal use is one (1) gallon or, when it’s a large-sized mushroom, one mushroom. For multiple species, the daily limit is three (3) species, one (1) gallon each. Harvested chanterelle mushrooms must have a cap diameter of one inch or greater.
Things to Bring: Extra food, water and clothing in case you get lost, map and compass of the area where you’ll be picking, whistle, mushroom field guide, small knife for harvesting and trimming, bucket to carry mushrooms, waxed paper or waxed bags (not plastic) for separating mushrooms.
Resources: Check in with the Quilcene Ranger Station (phone number above) for maps and guidance. If you want to learn more about how to harvest mushrooms, consider attending the Quinault Mushroom Festival, held each October in Olympic National Park. If you’re just interested in eating rather than picking, check in with the Robinhood Restaurant in Union in the fall to see if local mushrooms are on the menu.