Shellfish Aquaculture
Shellfish Aquaculture is a kind of agricultural land use, where intertidal areas of Beaches and Embayments and even River Deltas are seeded with juvenile shellfish, and then are harvested. The industry is very strong in the Salish Sea since colonization, and exploitation of Olympia Oyster. The industry revolves around production of oysters, mussels, clams, and for Asian markets, geoduck. Both tribal and non-tribal companies participate in the industry. The Shellfish Aquaculture community has been a strong advocate for Water Quality, as Fecal Contamination can result in shellfish bed closures. There are multiple Introduced Species associated with the industry, including predatory snails. Increasing industrialization of production over generations has included use of plastic tarps, site preparation using tillage and herbicides, and predatory exclusion using PVC, netting and bags. A wide range of methods are used for cultivation.
Relationships
- broader: agriculture
- related to: Enhanced Geothermal Systems
- related to: Olympia Oysters
- related to: Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA)
- related to: beaches
- related to: clean water act
- related to: duwamish delta
- related to: embayments
- related to: farm bill
- related to: fecal contamination
- related to: federal nexus
- related to: hood canal
- related to: introduced species
- related to: nrcs
- related to: puget sound acquisition and restoration
- related to: river deltas
- related to: salish sea
- related to: south puget sound
- related to: thornton creek watershed
- related to: us army corps of engineers
- related to: washington state department of ecology
- related to: washington state
- related to: water quality
- related to: Little Skookum Ecosystem
- related to: Thomas Creek Watershed