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:

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Pacific Oyster Die-Off in Australia

Foodmagazine yesterday reported that Australia has experienced its second large die-off of Pacific oysters. [click here for article] It is currently unknown what the cause is, but it is unrelated to the Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome caused by the Ostreid herpesvirus-1 (OsHV-1) which earlier caused a mass die-off in both France and Australia. [click here for article on POM] In the case of POM, the viral outbreak has been associated with higher water temperatures and crowding. Both are related to the Pacific oyster where in Puget Sound hatchery die-offs are felt to be related to lower levels of pH being experienced.

Intensive aquaculture of non-native species is not without risk. Whether it be the non-native Pacific oyster or the genetically modified Atlantic salmon, risks to native species can be increased dramatically. It is something agencies responsible for ensuring the safety of Puget Sound's ecosystem need to consider, and something citizens need to be sure is being done.
Posted by Protect Our Shoreline at 11:05 AM
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