operated at low tide, but uses water pressure to wash 

 the clams out of the bottom. 



The quality of the soft clams in Washington is 

 comparable to those from Chesapeake Bay or New 

 England. If harvesting and shipping costs are not 

 prohibitive, it is likely that a new industry for soft- 

 shell clams will become established in the Pacific 

 Northwest. 



Large populations of the blue mussel, Mytiliis 

 edulis Linnaeus, 1758, occur in Puget Sound, Wash., 

 but this species also traditionally has not been fully 

 utilized in the United States. Pugcl Sound mussels 

 are comparable to the European mussels in quality 

 and the paralytic shellfish poisoning caused by their 

 feeding on the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax, which 

 sometimes limits mussel harvesting along the ocean 

 coast, is not a problem in the inshore waters of 

 Puget Sound. 



Recently, through efforts of the marketing 

 specialists of the National Marine Fisheries Service, 

 local restaurants have begun to serve mussels and 

 the product seems to be gaining acceptance in the 

 Pacific Northwest. There are substantial natural 

 stocks of mussels which could be harvested if a 

 market develops. Also, it would be possible to sup- 

 plement natural production by applying mussel farm- 

 ing techniques used in Holland, Spain, and else- 

 where as the market expands. 



COASTAL ZONING 



People in the United States are becoming increas- 

 ingly aware of the need to protect the environment 

 from industrial or residential development. This 

 need is especially apparent along the shoreline 

 where several classes of users compete for space. 

 Shellfish farmers are finding difficulty in obtaining 

 approval from local "zoning boards" to anchor rafts 



for oyster culture in areas where shoreline residents 

 want to use the water surface for boating, fishing, 

 water skiing, etc. Even the installation of pilings or 

 stakes marking boundaries of shellfish beds or 

 wharfs for unloading the product are being ques- 

 tioned. 



At the same time there is a majoreffort to maintain 

 or improve water quality in the bays and estuaries 

 and to eliminate sources of industrial and domestic 

 pollution. These public effoils will help to assure 

 continuation and expansion of aquaculture which is 

 a "clean" industry. Furthermore, aquaculture pro- 

 vides a good economic justification for maintaining 

 high water quality in inshore areas. 



Federal and state legislation has been passed or is 

 being considered to establish authorities and proce- 

 dures for zoning the shoreline for special purposes. 

 If fish and shellfish farmers can present a convincing 

 argument, it is likely that certain areas will be re- 

 served for aquaculture with assurance that water 

 quality will be maintained at acceptable levels. 



CONCLUSION 



In conclusion, oyster production on the Pacific 

 coast is limited by demand, but the potential exists 

 for greatly increased harvests through application of 

 modern methods of aquaculture. 



Clam production is limited by natural supply. 

 Clam farming has not been developed but, now that 

 seed of at least one species is available, it is likely 

 that commercial clam culture will develop rapidly in 

 the Pacific Northwest. 



Water quality will not be a limiting factor if the 

 present awareness of the importance of the envi- 

 ronment is translated into action to control pollution. 

 Coastal zoning is a threat to aquaculture in some 

 areas but could protect those areas which are most 

 important for production of fish and shellfish. 



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