Jefferson County
Marine Resources Committee
 Volunteers
prepare oysters for planting |
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| Olympia Oyster Continuation & Expansion | |
| Overview | |
The Olympia oyster ranges from Southeast Alaska to Baja California, and is the only oyster that is native to Washington. Formerly abundant, the Olympia oyster was an important food source for many coastal Native American tribes. By 1870, overharvesting had already significantly depleted oyster stocks in Puget Sound. Water pollution was another factor that had profound effects on oyster populations. Unregulated effluent from surrounding pulp and paper mills before the 1950s played a large part in the declines of the Olympic oyster. To augment their ailing stocks, oystermen began importing the larger and faster-growing Japanese or Pacific oyster in large numbers, which soon replaced the Olympia oyster in their cultivated beds. The Jefferson County MRC is partnering with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) and Tribes to reintroduce the Olympia oyster into appropriate Jefferson County intertidalhabitat. During 2002, 25,000 seed were set in Discovery Bay. During 2003, 200,000 seed were set in Discovery Bay. We monitor the sites twice a year. In 2006, the focus shifted to monitoring and conducting reproductive studies of a naturally occurring population at the head of Discovery Bay to better understand and design appropriate Olympia oyster enhancement activities. | |
| Site Seeding | |
| In partnership with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF), the MRC set 25,000 seed in 2002, and approximately 200,000 native oyster seed on 6 sites in 2003. Community and MRC volunteers participated in the seedings. | |
| Community Outreach & Involvement | |
| The MRC conducted outreach
through local papers and partnering with local organizations that
included Discovery Baywatch, Wild Olympic Salmon, WSU Waterwatchers,
Port Townsend Marine Science Center, and participating homeowner
groups.
Outreach included contact with the Quilcene High School Shellfish Club, classroom presentation to the Chimacum High School Science class, and working with individual biology students to author a scientific article on the biology and development of Olympia oysters. This article was included in a 4-page newspaper insert distributed to over 10,000 local newspaper readers. Signage explaining the biology, habitat, and restoration of the Olympia oyster was developed and installed at two public signage sites in Discovery Bay. Signage sites are the Original Oyster House dock and the Port of Port Townsend boat ramp at Gardiner. The overall goal of the Jefferson County MRC Olympia oyster reintroduction project is two fold: First, reestablish naturally-spawning populations of Olympia oysters in suitable habitat with a preference to historic Olympia oyster sites in Discovery Bay. Second, the project will provide for a closer working relationship between the MRC and local Tribes. |
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| Benchmarks | |
This project achieves the following four benchmarks:
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| 2007 Project Products | |
Olympia Oyster Project QA / QC Plan, July 2007 – June 2009 (PDF, 88 kb) Olympia Oyster Enhancement Project 2007 (PDF, 948 kb) OLYMPIA
OYSTER ENHANCEMENT PROJECT |
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WSU Jefferson County Extension
201 West Patison, Port Hadlock, WA 98339
Projects Manager/Program Coordinator: Gabrielle LaRoche
