Shellfish Farming is Part of Pacific Coast History
Watch “Farming the Tidelands” video.
When the first crates of shellfish were shipped from the Pacific Coast, James Buchanan was president, Abraham Lincoln was still practicing law in Illinois, Charles Darwin was about to publish his historic study on evolution, and there were 32 states in the Union.
Enjoyed for 1,000 years by Native Americans, commercial shellfish farming became a booming business in the mid-1800′s, driven by demand from California gold mining camps.
Many of the tidelands on which shellfish farming occurs have been in commercial production for 150 years. In Washington State, many of those tidelands were sold by the state specifically for commercial shellfish culture under the Bush and Callow Acts of 1895. By law, Bush and Callow tidelands are designated for commercial shellfish culture.
Although shellfish farming currently contributes more than $110 million a year to the region’s economy, most shellfish farms are small family businesses that operate on just a few acres of tidelands.
Shellfish and the Environment
Scientific research confirms the broad environmental benefits of shellfish farming, including improved water quality, species diversity, and eelgrass growth. In fact, a single clam can filter 50 gallons of water a day.
Farmed shellfish are not fed artificially; they grow naturally, feeding only on the nutrients available in the water. By the very act of feeding, they filter out nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorous, cleaning and clarifying the water. For example Willapa Bay, the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the nation, is also considered one of its healthiest estuaries.
Shellfish also enrich the tidal habitat in which they grow by providing nourishment for crucial seagrasses on which marine life depend for sustenance and protection from predators. In fact, scientists consistently find higher populations of marine life and shorebirds around shellfish beds.
Because shellfish growers depend on a healthy ecosystem, it is in their best interest to operate their farms in an environmentally responsible manner.
See PCSGA’s Emergency Seed Proposal document here.
See Mark Wiegardt and Sue Cudd (Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery) address Ocean Acidification on Good Morning America