SEA-WATER SYSTEM AT THE 



POINT WHITNEY SHELLFISH LABORATORY 



By C. E. Lindsay 



State of Washington Department of Fisheries, Brinnon, Wash. 



Abstract. — A description of the original sea-water system of the Point Whitney Shell- 

 fish Research Laboratory of the Washington State Department of Fisheries includes 

 local hydrographic conditions, piping, storage, pumps, distribution facilities, automatic 

 controls, and provisions for cleaning. Considerations of cost, toxicity, materials avail- 

 able, and dependability determined the design. Although many of the operational 

 problems inherent in this type of installation were solved initially, additional ones came 

 to light with operation of the system. Some of these were subsequently eliminated by 

 modification of various components, and others simply borne as limitations of the sys- 

 tem. Later additions to the storage facilities and piping utilized new nontoxic plastics 

 to expand capacity and versatility and eliminate damage from boring and fouling 

 organisms. The effect of green concrete on quality of water was recognized. Recom- 

 mendations for improvements to the present system and for development of a new 

 system are made. 



The Point Whitney Shellfish Labora- 

 tory of the State of Washington Depart- 

 ment of Fisheries is on the west shore of 

 Dabob Bay in Hood Canal, about 60 miles 

 by road from Seattle. At this point 

 Dabob Bay is approximately fi/^ miles 

 wide, has a narrow intertidal zone, and 

 is 600 feet deep in the middle. Extreme 

 tidal range is 17 feet. Surface tempera- 

 tures range from 6° C. in winter to 21° C. 

 in summer, and salinity ranges from 30 

 parts per thousand in winter to 24 parts 

 per thousand in summer. Details of the 

 hydrography of Dabob Bay are described 

 by Westley (1956). Construction of the 

 laboratory was completed in 1953, using 

 an initial appropriation of $89,000. The 

 sea-water system was incorporated into 

 the building for use in conducting physio- 

 logical experiments and bioassays and for 

 live holding of oysters, clams, crabs, 

 shrimps and other marine invertebrate 

 animals. The system was relatively small, 

 since the required uses did not include 



public aquarium displays or vertebrate fish 

 holding facilities. 



CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION 



Construction and operation of a sea- 

 water system suitable for invertebrate an- 

 imals has required the solution of many 

 problems. The resultant system was a 

 compromise between cost, toxicity, mate- 

 rials available, and dependability. The 

 design was based on recommendations by 

 fishery researchers on both the Atlantic 

 and the Pacific coasts and our own pre- 

 vious experience with a smaller system at 

 the Gig Harbor Laboratory. 



Funds were insufficient to permit con- 

 struction of duplicate continuous-pump- 

 ing sea-water systems. Therefore a 

 single-line system having foot valve, 4- 

 inch main lines, main pump, standby 

 pump, and 10,000-gallon wood storage 

 tank was designed. Solutions to most of 

 the problems peculiar to sea-water systems 

 for invertebrates have been achieved 



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