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:

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Taylor Shellfish Mussel Raft Permit: Shorelines Hearings Board Reverses Thurston County Requirement for Additional Information

The Shorelines Hearings Board reversed Thurston County's decision to require additional information before a permit for their 58 raft mussel farm at the mouth of Totten Inlet would be approved.

Concerns expressed by the Hearing Examiner over dissolved oxygen being lowered to levels at which marine species become stressed were dismissed. Concerns expressed by the Hearing Examiner over non-native species of mussels displacing native blue mussels were dismissed. Concerns over benthic impacts, while not dismissed, were dealt with by allowing Taylor Shellfish to develop and submit a monitoring plan to check on impacts which would be implemented after start of the farm.

There is now a 30 day period for Thurston County and/or APHETI (Association to Protect Hammersley, Eld and Totten Inlets) to file an appeal. Taylor may also appeal the decision's requirement for additional monitoring.

You may contact APHETI at: apheti@gmail.com
You may donate to APHETI at: http://apheti.org/donation.htm
Posted by Protect Our Shoreline at 5:50 PM
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