Thurston County Approves Taylor/Arcadia Geoduck Farm Permits

"Small steps towards a cumulative impact analysis being required were taken."

If facts at the time of the review warrant cumulative impact analysis under then-applicable law, it shall be conducted during the review. [click here for permit approvals]

The Thurston County Hearing Examiner has approved the Shoreline Substantial Development Permits from Arcadia Point Seafood (on the Thiesen and McClure tideland parcels) and Taylor Shelllfish (on the Lockhart tideland parcel) for new geoduck farms in Henderson Inlet. While the Examiner noted there was not sufficient evidence presented to warrant a cumulative impact analysis at this point in time, a "Condition" for reconsideration of this requirment after harvesting, or 7 years, was made part of the permit. 

A cumulative impact analysis would have been appropriate now, especially in light of the denial of a permit for Taylor Shellfish's mussel farm permit (currently being appealed by Taylor Shellfish before the Shoreline Hearings Board). However, a small step towards analyzing the combined impacts from numerous "small" individual geoduck farms was taken by the Hearing Examiner.

A house built of cards will fall.



In time, science will catch up and weaknesses in current "science" used to support these tideland developments will evolve. Scientists, and agency personnel responsible for protecting Puget Sound will find it important enough to come forward. Until then, citizens will continue to push back on attempts by the shellfish industry to lessen regulatory oversight of their developments in the tidelands of Puget Sound, such as that seen in Seattle Shellfish's lawsuit against the Army Corps.

In that complaint, Seattle Shellfish is saying the Corps, Fish and Wildlife, and NMFS should just accept the fact that the shellfish industry supplied them with inaccurate information in 2007 and should now allow expansion with no further review. They feel evaluations and assessments written by geoduck farmers should be accepted without question. Papers written as Master's Thesis by graduate students should be accepted as peer-reviewed. It is a house of cards folding in on itself. [click here for recent post]

You can help support efforts to preserve Puget Sound's tideland habitat through reasonable regulation by contributing to Case Inlet Shoreline Association, APHETI or Protect Our Shoreline. All are 501c3 non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving Puget Sound's habitat.

Thurston County Geoduck Farms, Permit Hearing November 26

Shoreline Substantial Development Permit Hearing for 3 proposed geoduck farms 

November 26, 10AM

Expo Center, Thurston County Fairgrounds

3054 Carpenter Road

Lacey

Comments by email: peterscs@co.thurston.wa.us by 4PM, November 23

Additional permit information: [click here] (Note: Complete permit documentation will not be put up until ~ 1 week prior to the decision.)

 



Existing and proposed geoduck farms

Henderson Inlet

(click on photo to enlarge)

 

Almost 3 years ago Taylor Shellfish and Arcadia Point Seafood were told by Thurston County their proposed geoduck farms would require a Shoreline Substantial Development Permit. Taylor and Arcadia, instead of applying, chose to pay for appealing all the way through Superior Court. Their decision was based primarily on an opinion by Attorney General McKenna which said their PVC pipes, netting and rebar necessary for a geoduck farm was not a "structure." In October of 2011, the Superior Court agreed with the Hearing Examiner who said Attorney General McKenna's opinion was legally flawed and they would need to apply for a permit.
[click here for flawed AG Opinion]
[click here for Superior Court decision]

On November 26 the Thurston County Hearing Examiner will listen to testimony on whether the three geoduck farms (Thiesen, McClure, and Lockhart) meet the requirements of Thurston County's current Shoreline Master Program. As seen in the recent permit decision for Taylor's mussel farm in Totten Inlet, the Examiner has the discretion to determine whether cumulative impacts have been adequately addressed. If not, the Examiner can ask for additional information, including an Environmental Impact Statement, to determine whether granting a permit for these three farms is warranted.

Totten Inlet

An individual farm may be inconsequential. But when seven adjacent commercial developments are being operated a far more significant fragmentation of shoreline habitat and use occurs. When seven adjacent operations are taking place, run by separate companies with different planting rotations, a far more continuous pattern of disruption will occur, day and night. When seven adjacent farms are allowed to be permitted there is little to prevent future applicants from pointing to those approved permits in support of theirs.

 

Wilson Point, Harstine Island

Cumulative impacts from corporate shellfish farming do matter, they are occurring, and they are growing. Nothing in the SEPA approval for these farms considered adjacent farms being operated simultaneously. While the hearing has combined 3 of the 5 proposed farms, there is nothing to indicate simultaneous operation of seven adjacent farms has been considered. The Examiner has the discretion to look at the broader picture and determine whether greater analysis of cumulative impacts is required. It should be.

Cumulative Impacts? Thurston County Issues SEPA Decision on Taylor/Arcadia Geoduck Farms

Thurston County has issued Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance SEPA decisions for 3 geoduck farms, 2 operated by Arcadia Point Seafood and one by Taylor Shellfish. All are on located on the west side of Henderson Inlet.

These geoduck farms were first proposed in 2010. In early 2011 Thurston County told Taylor and Arcadia they would need to apply for Shoreline Development Permits. Taylor and Arcadia appealed that decision. After large legal expenses funded by current geoduck operations, and long delays in the permitting process which they complained about, they were told by the Superior Court they needed to apply for a permit.

A recent Hearing Examiner decision told Taylor Shellfish they needed to consider cumulative impacts of existing shellfish operations for another Thurston County aquaculture project. Thurston County's planning department has felt that advice does not apply to these projects.

Taylor Shellfish and Arcadia Point Seafoods will still need to apply for a Shoreline Permit.