Our mission is to protect the habitat of Puget Sound tidelands from the underregulated expansion of new and intensive shellfish aquaculture methods. These methods were never anticipated when the Shoreline Management Act was passed. They are transforming the natural tideland ecosystems in Puget Sound and are resulting in a fractured shoreline habitat. In South Puget Sound much of this has been done with few if any meaningful shoreline permits and with limited public input. It is exactly what the Shoreline Management Act was intended to prevent.

Get involved and contact your elected officials to let them you do not support aquaculture's industrial transformation of Puget Sound's tidelands.

Governor Inslee:

Monday, March 10, 2014

PCSGA Beach Cleanup March 13 - Would a tide lower than +5.4 help?

Note: If tideland owners prefer shellfish workers not walk on their tidelands, if there are questions, or if you'd like to help, the contact information is: mary@pcsga.org or 360-754-2744.
 
Tide Chart for March 13
 
The Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association is holding their biannual beach cleanup Thursday, March 13. Typically the growers will gather at the Arcadia Point public boat launch and from there fan out across south Puget Sound to gather debris from the upper level tidelands.

 
Tires, Styrofoam, Wood
 
As would be expected, tires, styrofoam, wood, bottles and other loose items typically found in the higher tidal elevations are gathered. The boats return to Arcadia Point where the garbage is off-loaded onto trucks which carry them away. It is a helpful service.
 
What about the debris at
lower tidal elevations?
 
There is, however, an area which needs improvement. It is the lower tidal elevations where all of the PVC pipes and much of the netting used in aquaculture exists. It is there where much of the debris exists. On March 13 the tidal area where geoduck farming goes on, +2 to -4, is covered by 3 to 9 feet of water at the lowest tide of the day (+5.4 at 11:34 in Olympia). Public relations efforts and a more meaningful impact would be helped immensely if the growers were to instead schedule their cleanup day(s) during these minus tide events. It is this area where the most concern exists.
 
A geoduck farm in need of cleaning up.

 
 

 


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