State to check public beach used by Taylor

The Olympian • Published July 23, 2008

• Comments (0)

The state plans to inspect public property in Totten Inlet next week that Taylor Shellfish Co. has been using for commercial operations. The company has said it did not deliberately operate on public tideland, and presented some draft survey information to the state Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday.

The agency plans to check the area directly over two days next week, spokeswoman Jane Chavey said. "We will be going out to survey the product on the beach," she added.

Complaints about the state land being used to seed and harvest geoducks and oysters started the state investigation last year. While the company has acknowledged it has been using 8 to 10 acres of the property, co-owner Bill Taylor said it was never intentional. He said the boundary with a neighboring shellfish bed had blurred during the 36 years the company owned it.

Critics, including the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, argue the company knew it was using up to 25 acres of rent-free public land to reap potentially millions of dollars from its harvests.

A fine from DNR is possible and could be based on how much the company made selling the shellfish raised on the land in question.