Ocean Acidification: A New Canary in the Coal Mine and It's a Native Species

Pteropods (aka a "butterfly") 

Native and far more 

important to the food web

than non-native shellfish.

$1.5 million absorbed to study 3 acres of kelp - results in 2019
The Paul Allen Family Foundation announced a $1.5 million grant has been awarded to look into whether cultivation of kelp will meaningfully lessen the impact of CO2 on carbonate ions (aka Ocean Acidification) in Puget Sound's marine environment. This drop in carbonate ions results in the inability of pteropods and other native species of Puget Sound  requiring calcification to develop fully. The funds will be spent cultivating kelp in a 3 acre area in north Hood Canal. There, sensors measuring a variety of parameters, including acidity, will be deployed to try and determine the before and after effect of the 3 acre farm.

The flap of a butterfly's wing

can cause big things to happen.

Photo by Astrid Van Ginneken, Center for Whale Research

Pteropod's signficance
In August of 2014, a paper by NOAA's Shallin Busch and others was published which showed the pteropods native to Puget Sound were found to be unable to develop shells in an environment of depleted carbonate ions. The significance of the pteropods to the food chain was explained in a recent Huffington Post article, noting:

No larger than a grain of sand, the latter snail-like creature is a staple in the diet of marine animals, including sea birds and salmon, around the world. Off the Pacific Northwest coast, about half of sea butterflies carry partially dissolved shells, deformed fins and other impacts of ocean acidification that affect their ability to swim and avoid predators and infections. Researchers project that three-quarters will be affected by 2050. A 10 percent drop in sea butterfly numbers translates into about a 20 percent drop in the body weight of mature salmon.

Is a big sponge soaking up

a diminishing resource 

what we need?

Fewer carbonate ions should not be allocated to a non-native species
What is the significance of current aquaculture in Puget Sound as it relates to its impact on the ability of pteropods to fully develop? What will be the impact of hoped for expansion? Nobody knows. Little thought has been given to what the growing cumulative impacts on Puget Sound's native species will be. The millions of non-native oysters grown and harvested require carbonate ions in order for their shells to develop. Equivalent to a large sponge soaking up the carbonate ions, the effect which industrial aquaculture will have on native species in need of the same carbonate ions has not been considered in any of the permitting actions. As seen in the amount of money allocated for a 3 acre site, it is perceived as a significant problem and the real "canary in the coal mine" is beginning to choke.

"...laboratory studies indicate that ocean acidification has negative effects on survival, calcification, growth, and reproduction; these effects are larger for calcifying species than for non-calcifiers. Differential response of marine species to ocean acidification has the potential to change the structure of marine communities, as has been observed in natural experiments, modeling exercises, and Earth’s history." from Shell Condition and Survival of Puget Sound Pteropods Are Impaired by Ocean Acidification Conditions, Shallin Busch et al, 2014

"Under the Dome": Chinese air pollution, CO2, Ocean Acidification and Geoduck Profits

The Chinese equivalent of "Silent Spring"

 

Smog in Wuhan, China

Where does that CO2 drift off to?

 

The New York Times reports on a Chinese film documentary titled "Under the Dome", a film on China's air pollution, termed "catastrophic." This documentary became viral in China, spreading throughout the country, viewed by millions wanting to know more about the obvious: China has some of the worst air pollution in the world. Viral until Friday, when "...major Chinese video websites deleted it under orders from the Communist Party’s central propaganda department."

 

It's not rocket science.

Pictures

Fewer carbonate ions = less calcification.

 

Smog, a relative term, does have as a major component, CO2. Prevailing westward winds shift those air masses of CO2 over the Pacific Ocean, where much of the CO2 is absorbed. Through a chemical process CO2 breaks down and carbonate ions are bonded to form a new molecular structure, removing those ions needed for calcification. A picture of the process is seen above, a verbal explanation is seen below. It seems to be an accepted fact by the shellfish industry that CO2, whatever the source, is causing them a problem.

 

Words

 

As a result, the shellfish industry claims it is in a state of near crisis, which may be the case. It appears that larvae of the non-native Pacific oyster cannot form shell because of the diminished supply of carbonate ions. Millions of federal and state funds are being supplied to the shellfish industry and universities in an attempt to help create more shellfish "seed" for their hoped for expansion. Once larvae have made it past their "incubation" stage they are then able to use up whatever supply of carbonate ions there may be, resulting in growth, albeit more slowly. Increasing the number of shellfish will, however, naturally decrease the number of carbonate ions available, for everything.

 

What about me? Do I get any government help?

Pteropod, at the base of the food chain.

 

Wait - there's more.

 

But, it is not only the non-native Pacific oyster which is in need of help. There are thousands of other marine species who are also in need of those diminished carbonate ions. Whether it be the shell of pteropods, a Dungeness crab or the skeleton of salmon, carbonate ions are needed throughout the diversity of life which exists in Puget Sound's marine waters. Non-native Pacific oyster "production" will use up that supply, leaving native species to fend for themselves.

 

What do you mean you don't like

a higher aragonite saturation level?

 

 

Complicating matters, however, is something pointed out by Bill Dewey with Taylor Shellfish in the January 20 edition of Hatchery International. In an article titled "Strategies to thwart ocean acidification" about how Taylor Shellfish is dealing with ocean acidification, it notes Taylor is making "...progress by keeping a very close watch on seawater chemistry and adding water treatment systems in the hatcheries." Mr. Dewey, however, points out an interesting observation when those same methods used to increase survival of the non-native Pacific oyster are used on the native geoduck. The article writes:

Dewey explained that with geoduck clams, it appears to be an overabundant ramping-up of aragonite in the water that is preventing the tiny geoduck cells from forming protective shells once they’re fertilized. That causes the ova to develop deformed and to die – usually within the first 48 hours post-fertilization.

Beyond Taylor Shellfish apparently being unsure of why geoduck don't like the modified water the non-native Pacific oyster do, the industry so impacted by Ocean Acidification has no problem profiting from the country which is most likely the biggest source of their problem: China. The industry may find that threatening to withhold the perceived source of male virility in China may give the Chinese the manhood needed to tell industry it is time to stop polluting the air, in turn the Pacific Ocean, and in turn acidifying Puget Sound.

 

 

 

 

Non-native Pacific Oyster Hatcheries' New Problem - For Now

The progression of blame for

non-native Pacific oyster hatchery problems:

Vibrio Tubiashi>Ocean Acidification>Vibrio coralliilyticus>?

 

Old bacteria, newest blame

Vibrio coralliilyticus

(from 2003 study in Applied and

Environmental Microbiology)

 

So many Vibrio to choose from

Shellfish hatcheries in the northwest trying to grow non-native Pacific oysters now have a new source of their trouble to point their fingers at: Vibrio coralliilyticus (Vc). In the years past, the bacterium Vibrio tubiashi (Vt) was believed to have been the source of hatchery die-offs, but Oregon State University now says there was a mis-identification. In a press release today, OSU states Vc is "the primary offender in bacterial attacks on Pacific Northwest oyster larvae."

 

Far more widespread and the primary offender

In announcing the mis-identification, OSU noted Vc is not only "...far more widespread than previously believed, but that it can infect a variety of fish, shellfish and oysters, including rainbow trout and larval brine shrimp. And it appears to be the primary offender in bacterial attacks on Pacific Northwest oyster larvae."

 

Sometimes a non-native species just

shouldn't be where we want it to be.

 

 

One piece of the puzzle about why non-native oyster hatcheries have a problem

Trying to grow the non-native Pacific oyster from Japan in the colder waters of Puget Sound has always been a challenge for the shellfish industry. Large sums of taxpayer money has been spent to overcome one perceived problem after another. Genetically modifying the species so they become sterile only adds a level of stress to a species out of its normal environ. OSU notes there are multiple problems in saying:

In what's now understood to be a problem with multiple causes, these pathogenic bacteria were involved in major crashes of oyster hatcheries, causing shortages in seed oysters for commercial producers. Dramatic losses were suffered in a Netarts Bay, Oregon, hatchery in 2005, and Washington hatcheries were also hard hit. Bacterial infection, water acidity, oxygen depletion and rising seawater temperatures are all believed to have been part of the problem.

Something to consider is the problem lies not with the waters of Puget Sound and the northwest, but instead it's in trying to force a non-native species into Puget Sound and other areas of the northwest. 

 



Taylor Shellfish/Seattle Shellfish Haley Geoduck Farm Permit Approved (was Ocean Acidification an issue to consider?)

Pierce County Hearing Examiner

Approves Haley Geoduck Farm Permit

Denies MDNS Appeal

 

Geoduck Farm on Haley Family

Tidelands in Case Inlet

 

On October 21, Pierce County's Deputy Hearing Examiner Edward McGuire issued a decision on the appeal of a Mitigated Determination of Non-significance (MDNS) and shoreline permit for a geoduck farm operated by the two largest geoduck growers, Taylor Shellfish and Seattle Shellfish, on tidelands owned by the Haley family and themselves.

 

MDNS Appeal: Industry Witnesses "More Persuasive"

In that decision Mr. McGuire found the challenges to the MDNS decision by the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound and neighbors were either "without merit", did not establish a "probable significant adverse impact", "failed to carry their burden of proof", and had witnesses who were "overshadowed by Applicant's witnesses pertaining to specific field experience, knowledge, and expertise in geoduck aquaculture; and were thus more persuasive." Despite Seattle Shellfish building a shellfish hatchery to the west on the shoreline of Harstine Island's Spencer Cove, operating a shellfish nursery over 100 yards long within Spencer Cove, and operating numerous geoduck farms in Spencer Cove, along with those in Case Inlet, the Hearing Examiner felt he was not presented with sufficient evidence to warrant requiring a cumulative impacts analysis.

 

Shoreline Permit: Approved with Conditions, Some added or Modified

Beginning on page 30 of the decision the Examiner lists the Conditions which are to be made part of the permit. Added is that a "status report" must be submitted every 2 years, listing all conditions of the permit and that an aquatic vegetation survey be completed "following issuance of the SDP", used to determine farm boundaries and to "reflect any changes between issuance of the SDP and planting." With conditions listed and as modified the Examiner believes the permit approval will meet all requirements.

 

Consumption of carbonate ions by CO2's

absorption impedes calcification.



Absorption of fewer carbonate ions by

increased high density shellfish farming

 will impede calcification in all species.

(image from NOAA)

 

Is what's good for the shellfish industry good for Puget Sound?

Ocean Acidification - Shellfish initiatives and CO2 absorption are bad for native species.

Not considered is what impact expansion of high density shellfish "farming" will have on chemical changes resulting from what is being promoted by the shellfish industry as a threat to its survival: Ocean Acidification. In the image provided by NOAA, it is seen that CO2 being absorbed by the marine waters is altering its chemical makeup, resulting in what Taylor Shellfish's Bill Dewey says are "fewer carbonate ions" required for shellfish. It is these carbonate ions which all species who require calcification to grow, whether it be shells or bones, are dependent on.

 

Pteropod shell dissolution

(from Seattle Times article on Ocean Acidification)

 

Shell dissolution on native pteropods

A study published August 27, 2014 by NOAA's Shalene Busch, shows pteropods native to Puget Sound, and an important link in the oceanic food chain:

"experiences shell dissolution and altered mortality rates when exposed to the high CO2, low aragonite saturation state (Va) conditions that occur in Puget Sound and the northeast Pacific Ocean." [click here for study]

Is what's good for the shellfish industry good for Puget Sound?  What will be the impact of the Washington and National Shellfish Initiatives on the native species of Puget Sound as those high density plantings "sop up" the fewer carbonate ions? There's something for Sea Grant, the University of Washington and Governor Inslee to ponder, along with other Hearing Examiners, the Shorelines Hearings Board, and judges.

KING 5's Story on Burley Lagoon Geoduck Farm to Air Monday, 9/1 During 6:30 News

[9/1 update - corrected date]
KING 5's Janet Kim will air a piece on a proposed geoduck farm in Burley Lagoon on Monday, 9/1 during the 6:30PM news.

Right to farm?
Does Taylor Shellfish have "the right to farm" wherever, whenever, and however, in what the Shoreline Management Act has defined as the most fragile resource of the state, its tidelands? Does agriculture have the "right to farm" in a wetland? Does a timber company have "the right to farm" in a riparian zone?

Plasticizing Puget Sound tidelands will not save native species.
Should any tideland area in Puget Sound be allowed to be "plasticized" in the name of "aquaculture"? The shellfish industry believes so.

Is spraying herbicides and pesticides onto Puget Sound's tidelands a constitutional right?
Should tideland areas have herbicides and pesticides applied with helicopters because native species are an inconvenience to growing shellfish? The shellfish industry believes so.

Expanding the shellfish industry will only make ocean acidification's impact on native species worse.
If ocean acidification is, in fact, as severe a problem as the shellfish industry believes - and it may very well be - expanding the industry will only make it worse. Those millions of additional shellfish added to the waters will only make the dropping the levels of carbonate ions worse, putting additional stress on native species. Governor Inslee may have found a political gold mine for election purposes but as with all things driven by money it is taking him down the wrong road.

Massive Oyster and Scallop Die-off in Canada: Cause is Unclear

The Globe and Mail has reported a "massive" die-off of Pacific oysters and Scallops in Canada has occurred. Growers and scientists are unclear what the cause may be. Some feel a combination of high commercial densities and a lower than normal algae bloom has stressed the shellfish, making them more susceptible to disease. Some feel ocean acidification is the problem. As with most things it is likely a combination of events which will ultimately be found to be the cause. Whatever those may be it is there should be concern about the larger integrity of the ecosystem of the Salish Sea, made up of waters extending from Puget Sound north to Vancouver Island.

From the article:

Over the past two years, Mr. Perreault’s oyster farm on B.C.’s south coast has experienced 80 to 90 per cent mortality of young shellfish – the normal attrition rate is 50 per cent – and last year, nearby Pendrell Sound had a massive die-off of wild oysters.
“It was in the billions,” he said of the Pacific oysters that died only a few months after they hatched.
“It’s hard to say without having somebody there monitoring what’s going on. It could be food related. Maybe there were too many oysters and there was not enough food and they just starved – or something else [is happening] in the water like the acidity level,” he said. “To be frank, we don’t know a lot about it and that’s what’s scary.”

Ocean Acidification - It's not complicated. Or is it?

The University of Washington's Ph.D. professor Cliff Mass has questioned whether modern civilization's increasing production of CO2 is the primary cause of ocean acidification and of shellfish hatchery failures. He questions if instead those failures may be more closely tied to an attempt at raising non-native oysters in waters colder and at times more "acidic" than where the shellfish are from. He has written a second perspective to the Seattle Times articles. In his second piece he writes:

"The ST suggested that mankind’s emission of CO2 was having profound effects today on shellfish in Northwest waters.   I argued that the ST story was exaggerating the current impacts of CO2 increases and neglected a key point: that the short periods of lowered ph (a measure of acid/base ) were predominantly caused by natural variability.  The truth is that mankind's CO2 emission is actually a very minor player in the current problems at local oyster larvae hatcheries."

Billions lost millions still harvested
Within the shellfish industry there is a belief that the cause of shellfish hatchery failures and the loss of "billions of oysters"* is directly related to increasing levels of CO2 being absorbed by the ocean's waters which in turn are causing a shift in the chemical makeup of those waters. It is believed that the increasing CO2 concentration in seawater decreases carbonate ions. This decrease in carbonate ions affects the saturation state for calcium carbonate, which makes it harder for shelled organisms to grow and maintain shells. As noted, Professor Mass believes the anthropogenic source is a small percentage of the cause.

*As a side note, according to production reports from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, between 2008 and 2012 the pounds of oysters harvested in Washington state have remained relatively steady. From WDFW: 2008-9.7 million pounds; 2009-8.8 million pounds; 2010-9.1 million pounds; 2011-9.3 million pounds; and, 2012-9.4 million pounds. As it takes ~2 years for an oyster to reach maturity, the 2008 numbers include seed produced in 2006.

A complicated web and a chemical soup
It is important to understand that while the shellfish industry may be having problems "hatching" non-native shellfish using Puget Sound's colder waters, where native Olympia oysters and Geoduck appear to have no problems, there may be multiple causes for whatever problems they face, including genetically modifying oysters so they are sterile. The spraying of Willapa Bay tidelands to eliminate species of shrimp considered to be a "pest" by the industry is another example of a self-induced problem. Eliminating these shrimp causes sediments to firm and in turn creates a habitat suitable for Japanese eelgrass to grow in which the shellfish industry now wants to spray with Imazamox. It is little wonder the office of the Attorney General referred to Willapa Bay as a "chemical soup."

Crying wolf is counterproductive
Professor Mass summarizes his position in the following words:

The truth is that anthropogenic increases in CO2 are only having subtle impacts on our regional weather today, the big changes and impacts will occur decades into the future. Both global warming and ocean acidification are very serious issues and by the end of the century their impacts will be substantial.   But exaggerating and hyping the effects today are unacceptable.  Citizens and policy makers deserve the facts, not exaggerations designed to elicit the proper response.  Crying wolf in the end is counterproductive and undermines the credibility of science to promote the proper actions is unacceptable.

Ocean Acidification: It's Complicated

As added material to consider in what is becoming a deeply controversial topic, the University of Washington's Cliff Mass questions some of the fundamental conclusions reached in the recent Seattle Times articles on Ocean Acidification.  His "Ocean Acidification and Northwest Shellfish: Did the Seattle Times Get the Story Right?" gives another perspective. From his piece, he states:

My conclusion is that this series has some serious problems and draws several unwarranted conclusions. Particularly that recent shellfish problems are the result of past or current CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

More than Commercial Shellfish Matter to Puget Sound, Whatever the Cause of Calcium Carbonate Depletion
If one accepts the fact that CO2 is changing the oceans water chemistry and preventing the formation of Calcium Carbonate, then every marine species dependent on that molecule is impacted. Pushing forward with the significant expansion promoted by the shellfish industry in its "Washington Shellfish Initiative" and "National Shellfish Initiative" will do more harm than good through the "sponge effect" of massive shellfish farms currently being promoted soaking up the diminished supply of Calcium Carbonate. While good for the corporations promoting 58 raft mussel farms, it's bad for the native marine species who are also vying for the same Calcium Carbonate for their calcifying.

Alternatively, if there is a question about the cause of the diminishing supply of Calcium Carbonate, then more research is needed before the massive expansion being promoted is allowed. As an example of the size of what is envisioned, Jim Gibbons with Seattle Shellfish spoke before Washington representatives about how Spain, in an area the size of south Puget Sound (south of the Tacoma Narrows) is producing 600 million pounds of mussels each year. Currently, there are less than 2 million pounds of mussels being produced.

Strategic Marketing Matters, But You'd Better be Correct

Following the strategic marketing plan developed by Governor Gregoire's Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification, Mr Manning and Mr Taylor build further on the Seattle Times three part series on Ocean Acidification in their "Guest" piece entitled "What we can do about ocean acidification and climate change". From the Blue Ribbon Panel's "Ocean Acidification: From Knowledge to Action" (4Mb): 

Educating elected officials, resource managers, business and industry leaders, and the general public (including youth) is a key prerequisite to action.

To improve understanding of ocean acidification and engage stakeholders in solutions, information needs to emphasize four key points. First, information must communicate
that ocean acidification is affecting jobs and resources here in Washington State. Second, materials must emphasize the importance of the ocean to our health, coastal economies, and well-being. Third, the information must explain the rapid change in ocean chemistry, the consequences of this change for marine life in Washington, and what it means for individuals and Washingtonians collectively. Finally, the information needs to show the value of early action and highlight the role that Washingtonians can play in developing and implementing solutions. (page 79)

Strategic marketing happens all the time in business and in politics. But if it is fundamentally flawed then there is a problem. In the case of Ocean Acidification, it needs to be examined closely. One small example of why that may be a wise course is to look south to Willapa Bay where not only native Olympia oysters are beginning to re-establish themselves, but so too are the Pacific oysters.

Cliff Mass is a professor at the University of Washington with a PhD in Atomospheric Sciences. He has taught at the University of Washington since 1981 and has authored "The Weather of the Pacific Northwest."

Jay Manning was Director of the Department of Ecology before being shifted to Governor Gregoire's Chief of Staff from which he resigned in 2011, saying he felt "worn out." In October of 2011 Mr Manning became partner at the Cascadia Law Group and returned to the Washington Environmental Council where he is currently President.

Bill Taylor is with the Taylor Shellfish Company.

CO2 and Ocean Acidification : The Problem Explained and Why Proposed Intensive Commercial Shellfish Operations Add to the Problem

Expanding intensive commercial shellfish operations

will not solve the problems of Ocean Acidification,

only make them worse.

 

"We're scared to death," Jim Stone, co-owner

of the Bering Sea crab boat Arctic Hunter

September 12 the Seattle Times published two articles on Ocean Acidification. Part 1 presented an overview of the problem with Part 2 focusing on the impacts which lower levels of calcium carbonate will have on the crabbing industry. One animated video contained within Part 1 distilled down the science to show the core problem increased levels of CO2 in the marine waters creates: a lack of calcium carbonate. This fundamental building block is needed by many marine species for calcification. Plans in place to dramatically expand commercial shellfish farms will rob the water of this diminishing building block, resulting in an even bigger problem for native marine species already under stress. Impacts have not been considered in any proposals and only show again why cumulative impacts from intensive commercial shellfish farming matter, whether mussels, oysters or geoduck.

The Problem Explained in Words and Pictures

When CO₂ mixes with water it takes on a corrosive power that erodes some animals’ shells or skeletons. It lowers the pH, making oceans more acidic and sour, and robs the water of ingredients animals use to grow shells in the first place.



Drakes Bay Oyster Company, Ocean Acidification and Impacts from Reduction of Carbonate Ions

An article today in Huffington Post has reported the coastal waters off of California are becoming more acidic. Along with the waters off of Oregon, Washington and in Puget Sound, the drop in pH levels has been detected in Monterey Bay. The article on the report written by an arm of the California Environmental Protection Agency, notes:

Some of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is being absorbed by the ocean, altering its chemistry. Scientists have documented changes to waters at Monterey Bay, which have turned more acidic in recent years, raising concerns about impact to marine life.

Carnegie Institution ecologist Chris Field, an acknowledged leader in the field of climate impacts, said the observations in the report "are more or less the gold standard of where we are now today" and provide a peek of the future.

Impacts to marine life go beyond a Pacific oyster larvae's inability to form shell
Of most significance to marine life is the change in the sea chemistry which the absorption of CO2 results in. The end result of the chemical breakdown, recombination and shifting of ions is there are fewer carbonate ions, affecting the saturation state for calcium carbonate, making it harder for shelled organisms to grow and maintain shells. In the Scientific Summary of Ocean Acidification in Washington State Marine Waters (a 9mb report) by scientists (as opposed to politicians, industry representatives and lobbyists) on Washington's "Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification", it notes:

Negative effects of OA are not restricted to invertebrate species. In systems outside Washington, marine fish species have exhibited negative responses to OA conditions that

include changes in growth, survivorship, and behavior. Marine phytoplankton have shown varied responses to OA that include changes in growth rate and calcification.

It will get worse before it gets better.
Attempting to control CO2 levels is challenging. Worse, as the Blue Panel's Scientific Summary notes, the acidic waters currently being experienced in the upwellings off of Washington's coast, and presumably now detected in California, are from CO2 absorbed 50 years earlier. It will get worse before it gets better, because:

[CO2 in] water that is upwelling onto the coast of Washington and Oregon...has been out of contact with the atmosphere for approximately 30-50 years. Waters presently moving toward the upwelling centers [in the deep ocean] from the open ocean, which have had more recent contact with the atmosphere, are carrying even higher concentrations of anthropogenic CO2. Therefore, upwelled waters will be increasingly corrosive well into the future, even if emissions of atmospheric carbon were halted today.

 In  other words, the increasingly acidic waters we are currently experiencing are from CO2 emissions 30 to 50 years ago when CO2 levels were substantially below what the are now. Ocean acidification will increase and along with it will come waters with fewer calcifying agents needed for calcification by a many species in the system, not simply oysters, including those in Drakes Estero.

Drakes Estero: A difference of perspective between a professor of marine biology and a neuroscientist/venture capitalist.
In a recent exchange between Joe Mueller, a professor of marine biology in Marin County, and Corey Goodman, a neuroscientist/venture capitalist, 2 very different perspectives were given. The professor of marine biology took the perspective that Drakes Bay Oyster Company's planting of 20 million oysters and extracting of a reported 700,000 pounds of oysters from Drakes Estero "...clearly short-changes the non-human aspects of the system[i.e., native species]." Added to the removal of nutrients by this artificial population are calcifying agents needed by other species. The neuroscientist believes this level of planting and extraction has no impact because the system, as he sees it now (i.e., as it exists in its artificial state, presumably what the UC Davis studies he refers to also looked at) is "thriving", therefor it must be good.

What the neuroscientist misses in his perspective is what would be "thriving" in the designated wilderness of Drakes Estero if the artificial structures used and unnatural densities of non-native shellfish species were not there. Would there be an increase in the native shellfish, crab, and other fish species due to there being an increase in the calcifying agents needed? Would there be an increase in various species of fish which use eelgrass as a habitat due to a species of fish which use the structures which are no longer there? It's not considered because he only looks at what is there, created by man, artificially, not what could be in the natural state of a wilderness.

What has and has not been decided.
This difference in perspectives is similar to that of whether Drakes Bay Oyster Company's use of Federal lands is a contract issue or an environmental issue, something which will be decided in the courts, not in newspaper columns. What has already been decided is that impacts from past CO2 emissions are now affecting California coastal waters and species which live in them. CO2 emissions have resulted in a reduction of carbonate ions, affecting the saturation state for calcium carbonate, making it harder for shelled organisms to grow and maintain shells. The non-native Pacific oysters being grown and extracted from Drakes Estero makes it more difficult, and that is an impact worth considering.













 

 

 

Taylor Shellfish Mussel Farm Update: APHETI to Appeal Shorelines Hearings Board Decision

APHETI To Appeal Shorelines Hearings Board

Decision to Reverse Thurston County's Denial of

Taylor Shellfish's Permit Application for

58 Raft Mussel Farm in Totten Inlet

(see APHETI announcement

at the end of this posting)

 

You can help support APHETI's appeal to Superior Court by donating to:

 

APHETI (as a registered 501(c)3 organization donations are tax deductible)

PO Box 11423

Olympia, WA 98508-1523

Phone: 360-866-0218

Email: apheti@gmail.com

Web Site: www.apheti.com

 

Buying up Puget Sound's

Natural Ecosystem

One Tideland Acre at a Time

 

Shellfish Industry's Vision for South Puget Sound

In January of 2012 the Senate Environment Committee heard what the vision for south Puget Sound was, clearly articulated by Jim Gibbons with Seattle Shellfish. In that testimony he told them that compared to south Puget Sound's production of 20 million pounds of commercial shellfish, Spain produced, in the same area of south Puget Sound, over 600 million pounds. His excitement over the amount of nitrogen removed was difficult for him to contain.

 

"Imagine the Nitrogen Removed"

Is this what Puget Sound needs?

(shellfish farming in France)

 

More than Nitrogen is Removed

However, as Thurston County's hearing examiner clearly recognized in the denial of Taylor's permit, the problem with "the vision" described by Mr. Gibbons - reflected in part in the mussel farm proposal - is commercial shellfish operations bring with them more than removal of a miniscule amount of nitrogen (estimated at ~1% of the total weight harvested). That nitrogen is removed as shellfish filter and feed on plankton needed by native species in Puget Sound, ejecting feces and pseudo-feces in a concentrated area which are consumed by bacteria, further lowering levels of dissolved oxygen in the area. To the point of why the permit was denied, you can no longer look at a single event (one mussel farm) within a larger system and ignore everything else which is occurring. Specific to shellfish, as anyone who is aware of the impact which nitrogen has on a body of water knows, none of the fresh water systems now safe and healthy were made so by shellfish. It was through controlling the inputs into those systems. In Puget Sound, it is the political pressures from the shellfish industry regulating what goes into Puget Sound which helps makes the waters healthy, not shellfish. 

 

CO2 in a Bottle -> CO2 in the Ocean ->

Lower pH (acidification) -> Shellfish Industry Crisis

(from Shallin Busch at The Evergreen State College)

 

Ocean Acidification, the Shellfish Industry, and Beyond

As is currently being heard throughout the country, but especially in Washington state, there is a crisis in the shellfish industry, caused by what is commonly referred to as "ocean acidification." From the breakdown of CO2 in the Pacific Ocean comes the lowering of pH levels ("acidification"), which in turn breaks down the element needed for calcification - carbonate ions. This reduction has resulted in hatcheries having had a near collapse in their oyster seed production as larvae become stressed, unable to produce shell. As more energy is used to create shell, they become more vulnerable to other external stressors, such as Vibrio tubiashii. Through "buffering" and choosing when to draw in water, production has risen, but the drop in carbonate ions remains, made less so by intensive shellfish farming.

 

These ions are needed by all species - whether native shellfish or any other species which require calcification. Through harvesting the shellfish grown, in many cases non-native species, those limited ions used to create shells are removed from the system and do not return, removing any "buffering" which occurs in a natural system.

 

Washington will Lead - Where?

In response to the shellfish industry's crisis created from CO2 emissions the Washington Shellfish Initiative was created, wrapped within the belief that by so doing will show the nation "Washington will lead" in addressing excessive CO2 emissions. [Skipped over is how allowing coal terminals to export hundreds of millions of tons of coal to Asia affects the perception of just what "leadership" there really is.] In that leadership role is a proposal to "streamline" permitting in order to facilitate the expansion Mr. Gibbons and others in the shellfish industry desire.

 

Cumulative Impacts Cannot be Ignored

To date, industry attorneys have successfully argued that current regulations cannot look beyond the myopic vision of "one farm at a time." Thurston County's denial of Taylor's permit was the first significant acknowledgement that in fact cumulative impacts have to be considered. While Taylor argues that over $1 million in studies have been done, in part funded by taxpayer dollars, having a big report does not mean it is correct and that cumulative impacts should be ignored. For this reason and others, APHETI has chosen to appeal the SHB decision. Further, it disagrees strongly with Taylor Shellfish now attempting to create their own monitoring plan through the SHB instead of Thurston County as the added condition required. More importantly, if additional monitoring is in fact needed, then it should be designed around existing operations. It is why the permit was denied in the first place.

 

The Shoreline Management Act

The Shoreline Management Act defines its shorelines as "the most valuable and fragile of its natural resources" and is in place "to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and piecemeal development of the state's shorelines." (RCW 90.58.020)  It is not in place to promote an industry's expansion and use of any methods it chooses simply because in 1971 it was considered one of the uses of Washington's "most valuable" resources. Shellfish farming is no longer Grandpa Taylor's oyster farm.

 

APHETI STATEMENT ON THE SHORELINES HEARINGS BOARD DECISION

-APHETI-

Association for the Protection of

Hammersley, Eld, & Totten Inlets

PO BOX 11523

Olympia WA 98508-1523    

Phone: (360) - 866 - 0218

Email: apheti@gmail.com     

 

June 28, 2013

RE:  State Shoreline Hearings Board (SHB) decision

Greetings APHETI Members and Supporters -

The SHB met on April 22, 2013 to hear Taylor's appeal to overturn Thurston County's denial of Taylor's application to expand aquaculture of non-native mussels in Totten Inlet.  The basis of the denial was that Taylor's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lacked sufficient study on cumulative impacts.   

The SHB issued its decision on June 17, 2013 – overturning Thurston County's denial of Taylor's permit application – see APHETI's website www.apheti.com.  This is disappointing but not surprising.  The SHB has a historical bias of siding with the commercial aquaculture industry.  We have learned the future Puget Sound wide plan of the aquaculture industry is to use suspension aquaculture (rafts) to grow not only mussels but all other forms of shellfish - clams, oysters, scallops, sea urchins, etc.

The bottom line – unless each one of us does all we can to stop this NOW, Taylor has a green light to put 58 more mussel rafts in Totten Inlet – AND – open the door for the aquaculture industry to put more rafts not only in Totten Inlet but throughout all of South Puget Sound!  Hundreds of raft type aquaculture operations could easily develop in Eld, Budd, and Henderson Inlets and the Nisqually Reach areas of Thurston County and Hammersley, Carr, and Case Inlets in Mason and Pierce Counties.  

APHETI attorney, David Mann, says this of the SHB decision - 

“I continue to believe the SHB got it wrong on Benthic impacts, dissolved oxygen, Gallo mussels and cumulative impacts. The only way they could get to their answer was to ignore entirely our legal arguments, our cross examination, and the multiple holes in the analysis.” 

“Frankly I believe all of the issues the Examiner raised and we defended before the SHB are worthy of appeal. It will be an uphill fight, but it is by no means a slam-dunk against us.” 

APHETI intends to appeal the SHB decision to Superior Court.  This will require substantial financial resources.  Your help is needed.  Previously, we asked for your financial contribution to support this coming appeal and some have responded most generously – THANK YOU!  Additional resources are needed though.  If you have not yet considered making a contribution please do so now for without your support APHETI's appeal may not be possible.  

APHETI is an IRS registered non-profit charitable organization.  Contributions may be tax deductible and all are acknowledged in writing.  The identity of all donors is kept strictly confidential.  Please use the enclosed pre-addressed envelope to mail your contribution to APHETI or use APHETI, PO Box 11523, Olympia, WA 98508-1523 if you are receiving this communication via e-mail.  

As always, please feel welcome to contact APHETI (360/ 866-0218) with any questions you may have.  We again, Thank You! for your continued support.  

APHETI Board of Directors

Facets of National and State Aquaculture Initiatives Questioned by United States Representative and Washington Business Groups

NOAA's Involvement in Aquaculture Questioned
United States Representative Markey, Democrat from Massachusetts running for Senator Kerry's seat, is urging the Commerce Department [NOAA] not to expand its jurisdiction to regulate aquaculture at a time “when it is failing its core fisheries mission to restore wild stocks, like cod, haddock and flounder.”

Representative Markey

In an article in the  Gloucester Times it states "Under outgoing NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco, the agency has begun emphasizing aquaculture in the U.S., which is a bit player, producing less than $1 billion in product value in a $70 billion global market."

Washington and Ocean Acidification: She said What?

"What do you think Governor?"

Country representatives meeting in Qatar over the past two weeks on climate change must now be asking, "She said what?" about Governor Gregoire's answer to why, if Washington was so concerned about CO2 emissions and ocean acidification, they were considering the exporting of hundreds of tons of coal to Asia. [click here for article]. An opportunity to lead the nation, if not the world, in addressing CO2 emissions and climate change fell below flat.

It's more than shellfish.

After the praising of how great the leadership was of all involved on the "Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification" finished, questions were taken. The first one, like many which followed, was directed at the Governor, asking for her opinion on the exporting of coal to southeast Asia through Washington ports. A reasonable question given that the scientists on the panel were clear about the cause of ocean acidification being CO2 emissions and that burning coal is the primary source.

It's more than "coal jobs."



Unlike the past and current Governors of Oregon who openly oppose the export of coal, Governor Gregoire did not want to "invite litigation" or "invite problems" by expressing an opinion [read article here]. Does she really think being "silent" is going to mean no lawsuits will be filed? Governor Romney discovered what not taking a firm position on controversial issues results in.

This is not leadership and not what is needed at a national level. It makes people look at Washington and ask, "What are they thinking?" It's embarrassing to everyone.