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KP shorelines may see landscape change
By Chris Fitzgerald
KP News
The classification that opens the
entire east side of Case Inlet from Rocky Bay to
Longbranch, including Vaughn Bay and Dutcher’s Cove, to
commercial shellfish farming, is scheduled to be
complete by spring of this year, according to Bob
Woolrich, manager of growing Areas for the Office of
Shellfish and Water Protection of the state Department
of Health (DOH). On the west side of the peninsula on a
“half-mile or so” stretch just south of Minter Bay,
Woolrich indicated Minterbrook Oyster has asked for
additional approved classification for beaches adjoining
those they already farm; Woolrich says this is the only
“west side” classification request at this time.
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To view a DOH
Commercial & Recreational Shellfish Areas map,
see links below. The map is in color and, with
the upcoming classifications of the east
shoreline of the entire Key Peninsula to
“approved” commercial shellfish farming is
outdated. Find Rocky Bay on the map, and follow
the gray-colored shoreline all the way down to
Longbranch, including Herron Island. All the
gray areas, by spring, will be green. This is
the color signifying tidelands to minus-70 feet,
both public and private, are “approved” for
commercial shellfish cultivation and harvest.
click map above to enlarge
Map
courtesy Washington
State Department of Health
Click here for 3 MB pdf
of a larger version of the map |
A recently released Geoduck Clam
Research and Management report by Pacific Shellfish
Institute identifies the South Puget Sound region to be
of special interest to geoduck farmers because of its
water clarity and abundance of other shellfish. Other
healthy, growing species indicate abundant phytoplankton
and nutrients, necessary resources for successful
aquaculture geoduck farming. The largest commercial
shellfish grower/processor in the state, Taylor
Shellfish, is located within that region, in Shelton.
The report notes the “proximity to
current culture operations… reduces travel time and cost
by eliminating additional infrastructure in other
areas.” South Puget Sound Department of Natural
Resources-owned tidelands are cited as holding
“promising characteristics.” In addition, the document
says, “South Puget Sound also has substantial
concentrations of wild geoduck — (again) a promising
characteristic for farm siting.” The report does not
mention the industry practice of removing all wild
geoduck, and other living species, from the site of a
new farm prior to “planting.”
Cathy Barker at DOH said that,
about five years ago, Taylor Shellfish and Seattle
Shellfish requested the Case Inlet tidelands, which were
then “unclassified,” to be classified “approved” for
shellfish production. Additionally, Woolrich said about
two years ago, he was also asked by the Puyallup Tribes
to open Vaughn Bay specifically for commercial harvest.
The process of taking unclassified
tidelands to one of several classifications takes the
DOH from two to five years. It begins with 30 water
samples taken over several years in all weather,
seasons, and tide levels. A shoreline survey is done to
“look at the shoreline very carefully for any pollution
sources.” He cited several examples of pollution, such
as failed septic tanks, extraordinary numbers of
wildlife, livestock, and boating activities. After
requirements for a desired classification have been met
and the area is classified, Woolrich said the DOH takes
water samples six times per year, “tries to” look at
each site every three years, and is mandated to
“scrutinize the site” every 12 years.
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Geoducks, anyone?
Bob
Downen, a Longbranch resident for many years,
wonders where the geoducks went. He says people
used to sell them at roadside stands all down
the peninsula. “None of the supermarkets carry
it; the clerks don’t even know what geoducks
are,” he said. “Johnny’s Seafood Market in
Tacoma referred me to the Asian markets.”
He
remembers when the clam sold for 25 cents a
pound, and says he “can’t get much enthusiasm
(for all the farming) when geoduck isn’t even
available for the U.S. public to purchase.”
Downen has no objection to farming, as long as
“it’s done in a logical, good cyclical way with
regulations that don’t destroy the sea as a
resource.” |
Woolrich stressed the DOH has a
narrow focus and is only concerned with and controls the
harvest of shellfish, not permitting, planting, etc. For
those issues, he said, people need to look to the
Department of Ecology, DNR, or Fish and Wildlife.
Woolrich admited that “commercial growers can get ahead
of us,” and that his staff primarily looks for three
conditions: chemical contamination, biotoxins, and oily
spills.
In response to a question about
South Puget Sound areas (Totten Inlet and Zangle Cove)
that environmental groups claim to have been polluted
primarily by an overabundance of monoculture farming,
Woolrich replied, “Pollution of water is another
agency’s problem unless it affects human health.
Environmental impacts of affecting fish and shellfish
are not issues DOH looks at. People expect geoducks and
oysters to be alive when purchased; if the shellfish
die, people will not buy them, so it’s not a DOH
problem.”
The classification of the entire
east shoreline of Case Inlet coincides with at least two
geoduck application permits that have been approved,
appealed, and reconsidered (SD55-05 and SD53-55) in
Vaughn Bay, scheduled for “approved” classification by
spring. Without the classification to “approved” status,
geoduck farmers can plant and cultivate the clams, but
not harvest them, as harvesting is controlled by the DOH.
Regardless of whether growers plan to plant on either
private or DNR tidelands, they are required to comply
with DOH classification standards for harvest.
©Copyright 2005-2008, Key Peninsula
News, all rights reserved.
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