The geoduck money machine just keeps rolling along.
Haley (Almond Roca) Family and
Seattle Shellfish/Taylor Shellfish Family
Geoduck Farm Hearings Scheduled
"Haley Farm" Proposal Continues Relentless
Expansion of Geoduck Farming into
Pristine South Puget Sound Tidelands
Shoreline Substantial Development Permit and MDNS Appeal
Contact: Pierce County Planner - Ty Booth
"Haley" Geoduck Farm Permit Hearings Scheduled
August 19, 2014 at 6:30PM (Shoreline Permit only)
Pre-hearing with the Key Peninsula Advisory Commission
17010 S Vaughn Road KPN
Vaughn, WA (near Gig Harbor)
September 17, 2014 at 9AM (Shoreline Permit and MDNS Appeal)
Permit Hearing w/Pierce County Hearing Examiner
Planning Meeting Room
2401 South 35th Street
Tacoma, WA
(Public Services Building annex, south entrance)
Parcels proposed for planting
11 acres
"Haley" Geoduck Farm Hearing
The Substantial Shoreline Development Permit hearing for a geoduck farm on tidelands owned by Seattle Shellfish and the Taylor Shellfish family, with adjacent tidelands owned by the Haley family has been scheduled before the Hearing Examiner on September 17, where the appeal to the SEPA MDNS determination will also be heard. KPAC will have a separate hearing on August 19. The 11 acre site will be one of the largest new farms proposed with portions planted over a period of years. As Pierce County's Biologist noted in a letter last year:
About half the farm (5 acres) will be netted the first year, with the second half netted the second year. By the end of year two, eleven acres of netting will be present. All eleven acres will remain netted through the end of year three (likely longer if nets remain within the first area after the tubes are removed). So, potentially, for twelve to 18 months, eleven acres of shoreline will be under netting.
New geoduck farm proposals and leases
throughout south Puget Sound
under old Shoreline Master Programs
in three separate counties.
(see bottom of post for closer views)
Continued push to expand into south Puget Sound under the old shoreline master programs
This geoduck farm proposal continues the push by geoduck farmers into the pristine tideland areas of south Puget Sound. Included as reasons for the press to expand operations before new and updated shoreline plans come into effect are that the new updated Shoreline Master Programs will require Conditional Use Permits, under which cumulative impact analysis will be required. At this point in time, there has been little to no consideration of the scale of tideland transformation which is occurring. In addition, new leases are being sought out as the current owners of geoduck companies do not have any more tidelands to develop. Only state, county and private party tidelands are now available to expand into.
[Note: On a separate matter, Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife is involved in updating its Hydraulic Code for the nearshore environment. It is accepting comments until August 15. For more information, see Sound Action's web site for details on what is proposed and how to comment.]
Ignore this picture. Tubes create habitat,
at least for a year. The rest of the time,
not so much.
Chelsea Farms Geoduck Harvest
SEPA MDNS Appealed by Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat - appeal to be heard at September 17 hearing.
Pierce County has issued a mitigated determination of non-significance SEPA determination on the Haley Farm. This MDNS determination has been appealed by the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat. That appeal and associated documents may be found by clicking here. The appeal
is based in part on the lack of any meaningful cumulative impacts analysis which considers the transformation of tidelands which is occurring on a scale never considered.
Geoduck farm's PVC pipes,
44,000 per acre.
It's not grandpa Taylor's shellfish farm anymore
Geoduck farming is not what aquaculture was when the Shoreline Management Act was passed in 1972. While aquaculture then may have reasonably been considered a "preferred use" of Puget Sound's tidelands, the methods and scale of operations today was never anticipated. The shellfish industry continuing to cloak their operations under reports generated by industry paid "scientists" presented by well paid attorneys has been, to date, very successful. It will continue to be so unless people become involved.
It's not PVC, it's "structure" for seaweed,
barnacles and crabs (shellfish industry
spokeswoman). At least for a year.
After a year, where does that PVC "habitat"
go when it's removed from the tidelands?
Pierce County - Pierce County could help the process by updating when their public meetings will be going on. The current site did not note the most recent meeting nor the upcoming meeting. Current amendments which have been acted on may be found by clicking here.
Thurston County has begun the formal process but is not as far along as the others. However, the shellfish industry is most certainly working behind the scenes. The county's SMP update information may be found by clicking here. Until then, individual permits will be required. Neighbors should contact each other and their representatives to form a united front.
Mason County has been working on their update for some time now, with direct involvement from Arcadia Point Seafood and Taylor Shellfish for over 2 years now. The SMP update has not yet been approved. It may be found by clicking here. County Commissioners will be asked to vote on the proposed plan at some point, after which Ecology will consider their plan.
A transformation of Puget Sound's tidelands is occurring and it is occurring on a scale not seen before. Below are closeup photos of areas where new geoduck farms are currently being proposed. More on just around the corner.
30 acres - Taylor Shellfish
in Burley Lagoon
Pierce County
(Just another shellfish farm.)
~17 acres surveyed in Fishtrap loop cove
by Taylor Shellfish, geoduck leases
signed by some, opposed by others.
Thurston County
(Where do survey lines go?)
Sohn Realty on Zangle Cove has signed
a lease for a geoduck farm with
Arcadia Point Seafood. Acreage is unknown
as a survey is in progress.
Thurston County
(Will that help sell real estate?)
20+ acres - Seattle Shellfish lease
from Mason County, adjacent
to McMicken Island State Park
Mason County
(Will that help the state park?)
11 acres - Seattle Shellfish/Taylor Shellfish/Haley
"Haley" geoduck farm proposed
Pierce County
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