A season will be put in place at Whidbey Island’s most popular clamming spot in 2017 allowing shellfish populations to rebound.

The beaches on the western portion of Penn Cove will be closed to shellfish harvesting starting New Year’s Day and won’t re-open until June 1.

The move was a long time in coming in a public access area that has been historically open year-round and heavily targeted for its abundance of butter clams, according to Ralph Downes, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife enforcement officer.

The impacted area is a small but popular stretch that will include the beach from the Captain Whidbey Inn to Grassers Lagoon, where there’s often a flurry of activity during extreme low tides.

The section of beaches from the Captain Whidbey Inn toward Coupeville will remain open year-round.

The shellfish closure on Penn Cove’s west side includes all clams, oysters and mussels during that six-month stretch. Cockles, a popular crab bait, are among those restricted.

Downes, who’s worked for the Department of Fish and Wildlife for 26 years and lives on Whidbey, said that he is nearly certain that such a season has never been put in place at Penn Cove before but has long been discussed due to heavy shellfish harvesting concentrated in such a small area.

A large number of shellfish harvesters there are from off-island, he said.

Data taken from surveys over the years indicate over-harvesting on Penn Cove’s west side, showing that the average size of butter clams there is decreasing.

“It’s just been grounded and pounded for years,” Downes said. “It was like, there is no way this beach can sustain this for long. It’s been resilient.

“A healthy butter clam is three-and-a-half to four inches. We’re just not seeing them. People are getting their limits but the limits are comprised of smaller and smaller clams every year.”

The popularity of Penn Cove’s west end also has been increasing, Downes said, noting that shellfish harvesters come from several counties.

He called it “hands down” the most popular clamming spot on Whidbey, sometimes drawing more than 100 people at one time.

Many beaches have structured seasons, Downes said, and it was overdue that Penn Cove joined them to conserve the resource.

He suspects the impact will be most felt in the spring when better weather and more timely low tides start luring harvesters to the beaches. Signs will be posted at the state-owned public access spots.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday that it was adjusting clam seasons on five North Puget Sound beaches starting Jan. 1.

The clamming season at Freeland County Park will be longer in 2017. It will go from Jan. 1-May 15.

Fort Flagler will be open for clamming Jan. 1-April 15 and again from July 1-Dec. 31.

The Port Whitney Tidelands will be open from Jan. 1-March 31, and the beaches at Sequim Bay State Park will be open from Jan. 1-June 30.

Penn Cove was the only one of the five that saw its season reduced.