Ecology and Economics of Shellfish Aquaculture in Washington State

Description

At the direction of the Washington State Legislature, Washington Sea Grant at the University of Washington (UW) initiated a shellfish aquaculture research program in 2013. The purpose of the program is to assess possible negative and positive effects, including cumulative and economic impacts, of evolving Washington shellfish aquaculture practices. A group of scientific experts was engaged to develop recommendations for program research components and to select team members to carry out the research. A peer-reviewed scope of work was completed in early 2014, calling for the research team to use modeling approaches and available data to complete pilot studies for Willapa Bay and Central and South Puget Sound. Five program components got underway: spatial analysis, qualitative food web analysis, Puget Sound ecosystem and circulation models, and an economic synthesis. This interim report summarizes the progress of the program to date and provides detailed reports on research status through November 30, 2014.