Shellfish growers plan beach cleanup Thursday

Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association will again host its Biannual Beach Cleanup on Thursday.

Local shellfish growers, the Squaxin and Nisqually tribes, the Pacific Shellfish Institute, the state Department of Natural Resources, the Puget Sound Keepers, and other volunteers will remove marine debris washed up from this winter’s storms.

More than 100 miles of beach and several inlets — including Eld, Totten, Hammersley, Case, and Carr — will be covered. Crews will also be on Squaxin, Harstine and Anderson islands, and in Oakland Bay.

All material collected is brought into common landing sites at National Fish and Oyster Co. and Arcadia boat ramp. Once on shore, the aquaculture debris is separated from general debris, categorized and counted. PCSGA uses the information to identify the source of aquaculture debris and work with responsible growers to reduce future releases of gear from their farms.

Aquaculture gear from the shellfish industry typically comprises a small amount of the debris collected, much of which is sent back to farms to be recycled or reused.

Call the association at 360-754-2744 if you know of an area that needs attention or if you don’t want people accessing your beach.

Support for this event and other local beach cleanups comes from funds raised through Shellfish Lovers Rejuvenation Party, the annual shellfish, beer and wine festival held every spring at Fish Brewing Co. in Olympia.

For information, see www.pcsga.org.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Shellfish growers plan beach cleanup Thursday."