Salish Sea shellfish aquaculture in Washington State and British Columbia
Presentation Abstract
Washington State leads the United States in farmed shellfish production with 10,616 metric tons of oysters, Manila and geoduck clams, mussels and softshell clams in 2013 valued at nearly $92 million USD. Contributing to this success is the ability since 1895 to purchase tidelands from the state that were sold specifically for farming shellfish. Northern Economics (2013) estimated the total economic contribution from Washington’s shellfish culture industry at $184 million in 2010. Total direct, indirect and induced wages are estimated at $77 million. The Salish Sea accounts for 70% of the tonnage and 79% of the value. Pacific oysters dominate with 38% of the tonnage and value of Washington’s farmed shellfish. Manila clams are 2nd in quantity at 31% but drop to third in value at 19%. Geoduck are only 7% of the tonnage however they are second in value at 27%. British Columbia produced 8,450 metric tons of farmed shellfish in 2013 valued at $15.7 million USD of which 66% were oysters, 29% were clams, 3% mussels and 1% scallops. Shellfish farms in both Washington and BC are key rural employers. The industry in both has hundreds of multigenerational small family farms and several larger companies. In addition to the food and economic contributions generated by shellfish farms they also provide a variety of ecosystem services which often go overlooked when valuing the industry. Growth in both BC and Washington over the past decade has been relatively stagnant largely due to a difficult regulatory environment and lack of adequate seed. Washington is committed to addressing polluted shellfish growing areas with a target of 4,371 hectares upgraded by 2020. In January 2016 the Washington Shellfish Initiative was re-launched by Governor Inslee with activities to address ocean acidification impacts, improve the regulatory process, water quality, research, outreach and education, and restoration.
Session Title
Local Food Production: Aquaculture in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Food and Food Security
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Shellfish culture--Economic aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Salish Sea shellfish aquaculture in Washington State and British Columbia
2016SSEC
Washington State leads the United States in farmed shellfish production with 10,616 metric tons of oysters, Manila and geoduck clams, mussels and softshell clams in 2013 valued at nearly $92 million USD. Contributing to this success is the ability since 1895 to purchase tidelands from the state that were sold specifically for farming shellfish. Northern Economics (2013) estimated the total economic contribution from Washington’s shellfish culture industry at $184 million in 2010. Total direct, indirect and induced wages are estimated at $77 million. The Salish Sea accounts for 70% of the tonnage and 79% of the value. Pacific oysters dominate with 38% of the tonnage and value of Washington’s farmed shellfish. Manila clams are 2nd in quantity at 31% but drop to third in value at 19%. Geoduck are only 7% of the tonnage however they are second in value at 27%. British Columbia produced 8,450 metric tons of farmed shellfish in 2013 valued at $15.7 million USD of which 66% were oysters, 29% were clams, 3% mussels and 1% scallops. Shellfish farms in both Washington and BC are key rural employers. The industry in both has hundreds of multigenerational small family farms and several larger companies. In addition to the food and economic contributions generated by shellfish farms they also provide a variety of ecosystem services which often go overlooked when valuing the industry. Growth in both BC and Washington over the past decade has been relatively stagnant largely due to a difficult regulatory environment and lack of adequate seed. Washington is committed to addressing polluted shellfish growing areas with a target of 4,371 hectares upgraded by 2020. In January 2016 the Washington Shellfish Initiative was re-launched by Governor Inslee with activities to address ocean acidification impacts, improve the regulatory process, water quality, research, outreach and education, and restoration.
