Help chart the future of our Pacific coast

Makah Bay on Washington's northwest Pacific Ocean coast.

Are you interested in helping shape the future of Washington’s Pacific Coast?

Ecology is still taking public comment on the state’s proposed Marine Spatial Plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement until Tuesday, Dec. 12.

The science-based guidance would establish a process for reviewing and making decisions about future ocean uses that might be proposed on the state’s Pacific coast.

Marine spatial plan forward looking

There are no new projects currently proposed for our ocean coast. The Marine Spatial Plan, however, is designed to be forward looking by establishing procedures to make sure that local and tribal governments and state and federal agencies coordinate with one another on planning and permitting decisions for any future proposals.

The plan also would help ensure that the public and interest groups have ample opportunity to weigh in on any future proposals.

While most current coastal activities center on recreation, maritime shipping, aquaculture and coastal fishing, Washington could receive requests to locate new types of projects and activities in the ocean such as:

• Dredge disposal
• Offshore aquaculture operations
• Renewable energy

The Marine Spatial Plan would help ensure any future projects avoid causing long-term significant adverse impacts to our environment, fisheries, and other resources.

Identifying conditions, trends and potential effects

The proposed plan provides data on current ocean conditions and future trends. It also outlines the data and information needed to evaluate new proposed ocean projects, including the potential effects a project could have on people, local communities, and the environment.

While the plan establishes protections for fisheries and ecologically-sensitive areas in state waters, it does not change current management or permit processes for existing marine activities such as fisheries management plans or shellfish aquaculture.
 
Multi-party effort

Ecology developed the draft plan in partnership with the Washington departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources, Washington Sea Grant, and other agencies.

The state also worked closely with local and tribal governments, other state agencies, the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council, environmental and planning groups, the private sector and the public to develop the plan.

Submit comments online or by mail

The Dec. 12 deadline for submitting comments is rapidly approaching. You can submit comments online or by mail to: Jennifer Hennessey, Department of Ecology, PO Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.

Ocean acidification seminar set for Anacortes March 13

By Sandy Howard

Skagit County residents wanting to learn more about ocean acidification are invited to a free seminar from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 13, in the Seafarers’ Memorial Park Building, 100 Commercial Ave. in Anacortes.

Ocean acidification results from CO2 emissions being absorbed from the atmosphere into seawater, forming carbonic acid. This alters ocean chemistry and endangers sea life. Between 2005 and 2009, up to 80 percent of the oyster larvae in in some Washington hatcheries were killed by acidification before the problem was identified and temporary counter-measures were taken. As the nation’s leading supplier of shellfish and with the seafood industry one of the state’s major employers, Washington has much to lose from the effects of continued high CO2 emissions.

The seminar, hosted by the Skagit County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) features:

• Brady Olson, a Western Washington University marine biologist at Shannon Point Marine Center, speaking on “What is Ocean Acidification?”
  
  
• Bill Dewey, communications and public policy director for Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest farmed shellfish producer in North America, will address “How Are Shellfish Coping?” Dewey was a member of the Washington state panel on Ocean Acidification.
  
  
• Brad Warren, also a member of the panel and director for the Global Ocean Health Program of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and National Fisheries Conservation Center, will review the panel’s work and present “Recommendations, Partnerships and Actions.”

Tom Wooten, Samish Indian Nation Tribal Chairman and Skagit County MRC member and Director of Natural Resources for the Samish Christine Woodward state, “Those of us who live by the Salish Sea must be especially vigilant as our waters are particularly vulnerable to acidification. We need to educate ourselves and our communities about the problem and then move from knowledge to action. By working together, we can reduce the effects of acidification through such means as controlling all potential pollution sources of our sacred air, water and land.”

To address the threat of increasingly corrosive marine waters, former Gov. Christine Gregoire appointed the 28-member Washington State Panel on Ocean Acidification in February 2012. It was co-chaired by Bill Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Jay Manning, former director of the Washington Department of Ecology. The panel presented its findings and 42 recommendations November 27 in Seattle. Learn more about ocean acidification in Washington State.

In addition to the Skagit County MRC, the event is sponsored by the Northwest Straits Commission, Puget Sound Partnership, Port of Anacortes, National Fisheries Conservation Center and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.

If you have questions, contact Tracy Alker, tracya@co.skagit.wa.us, 360-336-9400.

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Ocean acidification seminar scheduled for Friday Harbor Labs

By Sandy Howard, Acting Ecology Communication Director

San Juan County residents wanting to learn more about ocean acidification are invited to a free seminar at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs on February 27.

Ocean acidification results from carbon dioxide emissions being absorbed from the atmosphere into seawater, forming carbonic acid. This radically alters ocean chemistry and endangers sea life. Between 2005 and 2009, up to 80 percent of the oyster larvae in in some Washington hatcheries were killed by acidification before the problem was identified and temporary counter-measures were taken.

The seminar, hosted by the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee (MRC), will feature Shallin Busch, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ecologist, speaking on “The Science and Food Web Implications of Ocean Acidification.” Busch was a member of the Washington State Panel on Ocean Acidification.

Eric Swenson, Communications and Outreach Director for the Global Ocean Health Program of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and National Fisheries Conservation Center, will review the work of the Panel and present “Recommendations, Partnerships and Actions.”

Eric Scigliano, journalist and author of Sweetening the Waters, written to support the work of the Panel, will look at methods to mitigate, remediate or adapt to acidification.

San Juan County MRC Chair John Aschoff said, “For many of us, ocean acidification seems like a brand new problem, but it’s been long in the making, and one that poses an immediate and far-ranging threat to our marine resources. We in the Pacific Northwest were the first to suffer significantly from acidification. The good news is that Washington was the first state in the nation to tackle the problem, and our program will look at several options for action.”

The 28-member Washington State Panel on Ocean Acidification was appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire in February 2012 and co-chaired by Bill Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Jay Manning, former director of the Washington Department of Ecology. The panel presented its findings and 42 recommendations for action November 27 in Seattle. (Learn more at Ecology's Ocean Acidification web page.)

The seminar is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 27, in the dining room of the Friday Harbor Labs, 620 University Road, Friday Harbor. An optional tour of the Ocean Acidification Environmental Laboratory, led by Dr. Michael O’Donnell, will follow.

In addition to the San Juan County MRC, the event is sponsored by the Northwest Straits Commission, Puget Sound Partnership, National Fisheries Conservation Center, University of Washington and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.

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