Bainbridge Island: Welcome to South Puget Sound Aquaculture

Plasticizing Puget Sound's tideland habitat for China.

 

Coming to Bainbridge Island: A "preferred use".

PVC tubes for geoduck, exported to China.

 

Inside Bainbridge has posted an article by Sarah Lane (click here) on what south Puget Sound has been fighting against for years and which can now be expected on Bainbridge Island now that its Shoreline Master Plan has been accepted by the Department of Ecology. The same agency who required this paragraph on aquaculture to be removed:

Prohibit aquaculture where it would result in a net loss of shoreline ecological functions; adversely affect the quality or extent of habitat for native species including eelgrass, kelp, and other macroalgae; adversely impact City and state critical habitat areas and other habitat conservation areas.

It's not your grandfather's oyster farm,

nor what aquaculture was when the

Shoreline Management Act was passed in 1971

and ratified by voters in 1972.

"It's habitat," until it's ripped up.

When DOE was asked by Ms Lane why the paragraph had to be deleted from the SMP, they responded:

“We can’t prohibit it. It is a water-dependent preferred use according to the Shoreline Management Act.”

Not explained by DOE is why they consider the methods used today by shellfish farmers a "preferred use". Were 40,000 PVC tubes per acre a method used when the Shoreline Management Act was passed?

 

Trust us, we know what's good for you.

We paid for it.

Governor Inslee and Taylor Shellfish

employee Bill Dewey. Standing on the best

science money can buy.



Governor Inslee, having made the choice to use the shellfish industry as a primary fund raising vehicle for both his upcoming election and for those running in the Senate, was naturally supportive of DOE's removal of the paragraph. Not clear was how removing what Bainbridge Island wanted to have included meshed with their additional comment:

 “Each shoreline program is tailored to a town, city, or county’s needs. The governor supports an approach that takes into account those individual needs and differences.”

"It's just a storm." Chelsea Farms

on harvesting impacts to the tidelands. 

Except this also occurs underwater

when divers perform harvest activities.

Make a difference for the future and tell Governor Inslee the shellfish industry's methods are no longer a "preferred use" of Puget Sound's tidelands. He may be contacted by phone at 360-902-4111 or mail at PO Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002. His shellfish coordinator is Julie Horowitz whose email address is Julie.horowitz@gov.wa.gov