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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
March 8, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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March 8, 2012
 
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Geoduck harvest shows little impact on ecology By ARLA SHEPHARD The planting, growth and harvest of geoduck has little overall environmental im- pact on water quality and the ecology of Puget Sound, concluded researchers at a Washington Sea Grant symposium on the clam this week. More than 150 people, including Mason County of- ficials and representatives from the shellfish industry, gathered for the four-hour geoduck research sympo- sium on Tuesday at the A1- derbrook Resort & Spa in Union. Researchers from the University of Washington and the University of Mary- land presented the prelimi- nary findings of Washington Sea Grant's six-year pro- gram to assess the possible environmental effects of geoduck aquaculture. The program, commis- sioned by the Washington state Legislature in 2007, is the first to present scientific information on the effects of geoduck farming. Geoduck aquaculture in South Puget Sound accounts for more than 25 percent of the statewide production of geoduck, said Glenn Van- Blaricom, a UW researcher in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. "[The industry] continues to grow," VanBlaricom said. "Now more than 50 percent of [harvested geoduck] stays in the U.S. domestic mar- ket, and the remainder goes to Asia. Clearly, now the U.S. market is growing in a very significant way." Commercial geoduck farms typically follow a three-step process for harvest: geoduck seed is brought from a hatchery and planted on tidelands, where plastic pipes and netting are then used for the next one to two years to protect the clam from predators. After the protective gear is removed, there, is usu- ally a four- to six-year grow Courtesy of Washington Sea Grant Technician Brittany Cummings collects core samples at a geoduck-farming site in Case Inlet, as part of a Washington Sea Grant program to study the ecological effects of geoduck aquaculture. phase before the clams are two plots at least 75 meters sucked out of the sediment apart at each location. during harvest. At each site, one plot con- Groups such as the Sierra rained geoduck aquaculture Club South Sound chapter studied before, during and the Case Inlet Hom- and after harvest from eowners Association have companies such as Tay- fought in the past against lor Shellfish and Chelsea geoduck farm operations, in Farms, and the other plot part due to the lack of exist- was a reference, or control, ing scientific knowledge on plot. the effects the industry has Data collection took place on the environment, from 2009-2011. VanBlaricom presented Each site had variable UW research on the ecologi- differences, but overall the cal effects geoduck aquacul- preliminary results of Van- ture has on bottom-dwell- Blaricom's study suggest ing, or benthic, communities that current geoduck farm- such as small crustaceans, ing practices have minimal certain types of worms and impacts on benthic commu- clams, nities. His research looked at There was also no oh- six locations around Puget served"spillover" effect from Sound, including sites in the cultured, or farmed, Mason County, and took sites to the reference Sites. samples once a month from "Based on the data ... WORDONTHESTREET Which Republican presidential candidate do you [ 1 F there's no distinguishable effect of harvest on the com- munities," VanBlaricom said. While some of the sites experienced a slight decline in biodiversity during har- vest, "the communities re- turned to their pre-harvest levels quickly," he added. His research team con- cluded that while the dis- turbance of sediment during harvest appeared profound, the organisms seemed to have a natural tolerance for it. This is likely due to the weather occurrences such as high winds typical in Puget Sound over a 10-year peri- od, VanBlaricom said. Puget Sound is also rela- tively young -- about 13,000 years old -- which means that organisms can easily adapt, he said. "Significant harvest ef- fects are questionable," Van- Blaricom said. "The impacts of geoduck aquaculture ap- pear to fall within the range of natural variation in the system." VanBlaricom's fellow re- searcher Scan McDonald, also from the UW, gave an- other presentation on the effect geoduck aquaculture has on larger organisms, including fish and macro- invertebrate communities such as sea stars and crabs. SCUBA divers collected data monthly during the summer and bimonthly dur- ing the winter to count or- ganisms at six sites, includ- ing geoduck farming and reference locations. Research indicated that during the time when geo- duck gear, such as plastic We can help you age gracefully. Menopause can be a whirlwind of change, and a woman needs a trusted friend to help her through it. Our board-certified gynecologists at Mountain View Women's Health Clinic specialize in the changes a woman goes through, and will tailor your care to your own, unique needs. Treating incontinence, hot flashes, and many other conditions of aging - we are here to make the transition easier. Call today for an appointment to speak to a woman's specialist at Mountain View Women's Health Clinic. M~son Genera/Hospit~/ Mount in View Women9 Herflth Clinic l i (360) 426-0955 2300 Kati Court, Ste. 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Finance offer limited to two per PCU member. 1" No Payment for 90 Days * Qualifying mere- bets may select to defer their first payment for 90 days from the loan funding date. Interest will accrue during defer• ral period, Some limitations may apply. Members may not skip a payment during the first 12 months of the loan, Shelton-Mason County Journal- Thursday, Dec. 9, 2012 - Page A-5