Shorelines & Marine Ecosystems

Shorelines, Marine Ecosystems & Aquaculture

The Sierra Club shoreline and aquaculture policies support Puget Sound salmon recovery efforts.  We support independent shellfish growers whose sustainable practices do not include industrial practices such as the use of pesticides and introducing plastic pollution in our marine waters (PVC tubes, nets, growbags). Our concerns are focused on the expansion of industrial aquaculture that eliminate our native species and interfere with citizens' rights to responsibly enjoy our shorelines.

PVC pipes used in industrial goeduck operation litter the beach

above: PVC Pipes used in goeduck growing operation despoiling shoreline. 

THIS JUST IN:  Federal Greenlight of Industrial Aquaculture Deemed Unlawful by Federal Court of Appeals!

Industrial Aquaculture on YouTube:

"Is This Your Vision for Puget Sound?"
"I am the Puget Sound"

Sierra Club Documents:

Industrial Aquaculture Degrades Water Quality, 2012

Shellfish Reduce Zooplankton  May, 2012

Industrial Aquaculture Marine Plastic Pollution 2012 

Sierra Club Eelgrass Protection

Shellfish Industry Minimal Taxation

Sierra Club Industrial Aquaculture Impacts October, 2011

Minimal Nitrogen Reduction by Shellfish Aquaculture-2012

National Marine Fisheries-Shellfish Aquaculture-2012

Sierra Club Aquaculture Presentation July, 2010

Sierra Club Aquaculture Flyer April 2009

Shellfish Industry Places Massive Quantities of Plastic Debris and Chemical/Toxic Pollution Into Puget Sound.

See: "The Use of PVC Plastics for Aquaculture in Puget Sound"

Aquaculture Impacts:

Shellfish Industry Document "Pest Management Strategic Plan for Bivalves in Oregon and Washington"

The "Pest Management Strategic Plan for Bivalves in Oregon and Washington" was funded by a taxpayer grant and produced by the shellfish industry as the first aquatic crop "pest" plan in the United States.  The Sierra Club remains concerned that numerous citizens have witnessed our native aquatic species being systematically removed/destroyed as "pests/throw aways" and our essential plant life being scraped off as "weeds."  

Destructive Shellfish Industry Practices on the Beach

"A New View of  the Puget Sound Economy" -- Earth Economics

The aquaculture industry represents a small fraction of the "economic benefits" to citizens of Puget Sound and their expansion must be regulated so they do not significantly impact the valuable economic assets that belong to all Washington citizens.

Puget Sound Basin provides between $7.4 and $61.7 billion in benefits to people every year. If the “natural capital” of the Puget Sound basin were treated as an economic asset, the asset value would be at least $243 billion and $2.1 trillion.....The natural assets of the Puget Sound basin are tremendously valuable economic assets that are being lost and degraded. P.5.

Estuaries and bays, rocky islets, headlands, intertidal areas, rock reefs, sea grass, and kelp beds all buffer against wave energy. Shorelines are built and maintained naturally with interactions of the physical aspects of these structures, wave energy, tides, and sediment deposition. The biota in mudflats and nearshore soft bottom sediments also play a key role in maintaining the structure of sediments and preventing erosion (Weslawski et al.,2004). When these features are removed or significantly altered, dramatic changes and loss of shorelines can occur... Thus, retention of ecosystem features that stabilize the shoreline helps reduce the cost of engineered stabilization efforts, maintains habitat for species that use beach and nearshore ecosystems, and retains space for recreation and aesthetic enjoyment of the Sound. P.34.

The Science:

SeaGrant Preliminary Geoduck Research
 
The SeaGrant geoduck research was initiated by legislators based on requests by South Puget Sound residents who were reporting that intertidal geoduck operations were destroying aquatic native animal and plant species. Despite requests from SeaGrant researchers to not use preliminary SeaGrant research to influence public/regulatory decisions, shellfish industry representatives continue to quote in meetings that "The SeaGrant Geoduck Research Shows No Impacts."  For an informed preliminary analysis of the impacts of geoduck feedlots that are being studied, the following SeaGrant Geoduck Research Interim Report and Slides presented to the Shellfish Aquaculture Regulatory Committee should be carefully reviewed:
                                                                     

Shellfish Aquaculture Regulatory Committee SeaGrant Presentations

"The Ecological Role of Bivalve Shellfish Aquaculture in the Estuarine Environment"  (Dumbauld, Ruesink, Rumrill, 2009)

Page 215 outlines the concept of "production" estuary vs. a "conservancy" estuary. Puget Sound residents are being asked by the governor to support restoration and protection efforts to save Puget Sound, which is not consistent with NOAA and the aquaculture industry plans for an aquaculture "production" estuary.

Aquaculture Studies Review --Prepared by The Association for Responsible Shellfish Farming, Canada-2009

DNR May 3-7 Forum--Intertidal Geoduck Public Comments -- The public comments contained in these 159 pages document an overwhelming majority of citizens are opposed to DNR leasing public tidelands for geoduck feedlots. The environmental and social impacts are outlined in detail.

Preservation and Protection of Marine Shorelines:

The Marine Ecosystems Team works on these issues, leading the effort to protect our marine shorelines and intertidal zones from unregulated and potentially destructive aquaculture development.  They are working on initiatives at the national, state and county levels in support of sustainable marine habitats. Contact our Marine Ecosystem Team at:  <marine@washington.sierraclub.org> for questions.