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Our Work
Industrial shellfish aquaculture is growing substantially in Pacific Northwest—Washington is the leading shellfish producer in the United States, to the increasing detriment of its wild shorelines and healthy aquatic ecosystems.
Tens of thousands of acres are used to cultivate shellfish throughout the state, and the number of acres and operations is expanding: since 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved seeding or harvesting activities, including many new operations, on anywhere from 37,000 to 50,000 acres of shoreline, without any meaningful cumulative impacts analysis. This equates to roughly a quarter of all Washington tidelands, but in some regions as much as 81%, like Willapa Bay. Given the market demand for luxury shellfish (geoduck in Asia and raw oysters in the U.S.) this industry will keep expanding unchecked without better oversight and environmental protection by our regulators and policymakers.
