|
'The
sea, washing the equator and the poles, offers its perilous aid, and
the power and empire that follow it. . . . "Beware of me," it says,
"but if you can hold me, I am the key to all the lands."'
- Ralph
Waldo Emerson
Shellfish
of Whatcom County
Updated PSP (Red Tide) Closure- July 2011
PSP (Red Tide) Closure- May 2011
Shellfish are an important resource. In 1999,
almost 44 million pounds of shellfish, valued at $79 million, were
harvested commercially from Washington waters. The term shellfish
encompasses a broad group of organisms including oysters, clams, crabs,
shrimp and mussels.
There
are numerous shellfish in the Puget Sound waters. Here is just a
partial listing of some of the shellfish that can be found in Whatcom
County's coastal waters:
Geoduck
clams
Native littleneck clams
Butter clams
Pacific oysters
Dungeness crab
Crawfish |
Horse
clams
Manila clams
Cockle clams
Mussels
Red rock crab
Shrimp |
For more information on the shellfish in our
waters, check out the Marine
Fact Sheets or check out the shellfish
harvesting rules so you know what you can harvest and when
and where it is legal to harvest.
Many areas around Washington state, as well as
around the country, have been closed to the harvesting of shellfish due
to declines in water quality over the shellfish beds. The State Department of Health provides information on closed recreational shellfish beds.
Pollution is a big threat to the shellfish beds.
When areas are closed to commercial shellfish harvesting, due to declines in water
quality, Washington counties have the authority to create Shellfish
Protection Districts to address the issues related to the
classification downgrade. Whatcom County currently has two areas that
are closed to shellfish harvesting: Drayton Harbor (closed from November to February) and Birch Bay at the mouth of Terrell Creek (year long closure).
"We must plant the sea and herd its animals
… using the sea as farmers instead of hunters. That is what
civilization is all about-farming replacing hunting."
- Jacques
Cousteau
Whatcom County Public Works - Natural Resources
322 N. Commercial St, Suite 110, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA
Contact Us:
(360) 676-6876 • Office Hours M-F 8:00a.m. to
4:30p.m.
|
