Pacific 



Landings by Major Bays. Mono Bay 

 was one of the State's leading produc- 

 ers of Pacific oysters until the 1970s. 

 However, increasing sewage contami- 

 nation reduced landings to 179,000 

 pounds in 1979, and to 18,000 pounds 

 in 1984. The harvest declined further 

 to 12,000 pounds in 1985, and finally 

 to zero in 1 990. Drakes Estero is now 

 the southernmost major source of 

 oysters in the region, producing over 

 700,000 pounds annually. Humboldt 

 Bay oyster landings dropped from 1 .5 

 million pounds in 1962 to about 

 500,000 pounds in 1988. The primary 

 reason was increasing restrictions 

 imposed following rainfall, when fecal 

 coliform levels exceeded standards. 

 However, the State and local industry 

 developed an innovative cooperative 

 management program which will 

 reduce closures. 



Tillamook Bay oyster production 

 declined dramatically from 588,000 

 pounds in 1968 to 300,000 pounds in 

 1985, where it has stabilized. The 

 primary reason for this decline was 

 runoff from agricultural activities, 

 especially dairy farm operations. 

 Recently, clean-up efforts by local 

 farmers and municipalities have 

 improved the quality. 



An annual oyster harvest of about five 

 million pounds from Willapa Bay 

 represents about half of Washington's 

 production. This harvest is almost 20 

 percent of the Nation's oyster produc- 

 tion, making this estuary the most 

 productive per acre of surface water in 

 the Nation. At the same time, shell- 

 fish-growing water closures in Willapa 

 Bay in 1990 resulted from increases in 



human activities, including clear- 

 cutting of timber. As a result, many 

 local conservation initiatives have 

 been undertaken. 



Puget Sound leads the region's 

 landings with over 13 million pounds 

 annually. Subtidal scallop and mussel 

 harvests increased, while intertidal 

 oyster and clam harvests remained 

 steady. To maintain this production, 

 Washington committed significant 

 resources to monitoring the pollution 

 effects caused by rapid population 

 growth as well as the increasing 

 problem of nonpoint pollution in the 

 area. Consequently, the amount of 

 management funds per acre is higher 

 for Puget Sound than for any other 

 estuary in the Nation. 



Landings by State. The production 

 of oysters in California increased from 

 1 .2 million pounds in 1 985 to 1 .5 

 million pounds in 1989, primarily from 

 aquaculture in Drakes Estero, and 

 Humboldt and Tomales bays. At the 

 turn of the century, San Francisco Bay 

 led the State in oyster production. 

 However, exploitation, pollution, high 

 mortality rates, and poor reproduction 

 ended commercial harvest by 1939. 



Landings of clams (40,000 to 440,000 

 pounds) and mussels (150,000 to 

 335,000 pounds) are highly variable 

 across the State. One of the most 

 successful mussel culture operations 

 takes place on oil platforms in Santa 

 Barbara Channel. However, most 

 harvest, other than oysters, is by 

 recreational fishermen. The responsi- 

 bility for protection of recreational 

 shellfish-growing waters and fisher- 

 men is left to local governments. 



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