Taylor Shellfish speaks out after tidelands survey

Staff And Wire Report • Published July 13, 2008

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SHELTON – The Taylor Shellfish Co. has acknowledged seeding and harvesting oysters and geoducks on state tidelands in Totten Inlet, but it wasn't intentional, a company spokesman said Saturday.

The company plans to meet with the state Department of Natural Resources about the issue July 21, spokesman Bill Dewey said. He said the preliminary results of a state-ordered survey show that 8 to 10 acres of the company's farming operations are on state tidelands; critics say it's more than that.

"This was not an intentional issue," Dewey said.

Taylor was alerted to the problem after a complaint was filed with the State Auditor's Office, he said. That resulted in a DNR inquiry, and then Taylor hired a surveyor at the request of the state agency, Dewey said.

Dewey said he doesn't expect a fine from the state because the trespassing was unintentional.

However, the shellfish farmer could face major penalties, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Nearby landowners in the South Sound area and opponents of aquaculture are angry that Taylor likely reaped millions in revenue from public waters. Critics estimate Taylor secretly converted at least 25 acres of state tidelands into a shellfish farm, while the company contends the area in dispute is far smaller.

DNR is waiting for a survey of the disputed area to be completed this month before making a decision on possible penalties. In penalizing the company, the state will take into account revenue Taylor generated from farming shellfish on the site. DNR also would require Taylor to pay double or triple the market value of any wild shellfish sold from the waters, depending on whether the trespass is determined to be intentional.

Laura Hendricks, spokes-woman for the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, said it's mind-boggling that a big company didn't realize where it was farming.

"It's cheaper to take it and not pay for it," she said.

At least one landowner complaint was filed more than 10 years ago, with DNR acknowledging that it had been received. But apparently, no action was taken until other property owners filed complaints with a state Auditor's Office hot line last year.

The complaints were referred to DNR, which launched the investigation.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Olympian reporter Rolf Boone contributed to this report.