Shellfish harvest restrictions imposed

Limits will be set on 25-acre area in Mason County

By John Dodge | The Olympian • Published April 12, 2009

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Commercial shellfish harvest restrictions are about to be imposed on a 25-acre area of tidelands in North Bay near Allyn in Mason County, state Department of Health officials said Friday.

The area had been approved for commercial shellfish harvesting, but increased levels of bacterial contamination mean shellfish can't be harvested after rainfall of one-half inch or more in 24 hours, said Scott Berbells of the health department's office of shellfish and water protection.

Sixteen harvest areas in the state are identified by health officials as threatened by pollution from failing septic systems, animal waste and other sources of fecal coliform contamination, down from 17 last year.

Three areas in Mason County show up on the early-warning list — Hood Canal near Lynch Cove; Oakland Bay, another area in North Bay; and Pickering Passage. Water quality in an area near Woodard Bay in Henderson Inlet in Thurston County improved enough this year for the area to be removed from the threatened list, Berbells said.

The state agency monitors marine water quality stations throughout Puget Sound, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, looking for bacterial contamination that exceeds public health standards for safe consumption of shellfish.

Areas are approved, restricted when it rains or closed. Rain is critical because it generates stormwater runoff that can flush contaminants into marine bays and inlets.

"Some very productive shellfish harvesting areas in Puget Sound, Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor are meeting the water-quality standard, but are on the verge of closure," said Bob Woolrich, growing-area manager for the health department.

John Dodge covers the environment and energy for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5444 or jdodge@theolympian.com.