Ocean Acidification and Shellfish

Govenor Gregoire's "Blue Ribbon Panel" on ocean acidification has met and begun to discuss ocean acidification, a problem impacting the shellfish industry.  They are expected to submit their findings by July and have an action plan in place by September.  It is expected to address something which has been building for decades, perhaps longer, and will continue to get worse.   Considerations will include whether non-native shellfish are unable to adapt to the lowering pH levels and how to prevent the upwelling of deep ocean waters from entering Puget Sound and Willapa Bay, decreasing pH. 

Will a "bio-engineered" species of oyster, able to stand up to the lower pH level (i.e., a more acidic water), bring with it other problems?  The "Blue Ribbon Panel" needs to consider issues beyond economics.

An overview of the problem is discussed in this article, written by Eric Sigliano:
http://crosscut.com/2012/04/05/environment/22173/Rallying-to-save-the-souring-seas-and-the-Northwest-s-cherished-oyster-harvest/one_page/

(Note:  Mention is made of concerns expressed by shoreline owners who are witnessing firsthand the transformation of tideland ecosystems and displacement of native species through the shellfish industry's use of plastics and high density planting of non-native species.  Unfortunately, the author seems to dismiss these industrial developments in the tidelands as merely being "unscenic."  Something for the author to consider in a follow-up article is what role aquaculture may play in the acidification problem the panel is in place to address.  Are the hatcheries, processing plants, species grown, chemicals applied, and structures used part of the problem or creating another?)