1. Local
Shellfish
Growing
Area
Upgrades
&
The
[Upstream]
Prac=ces
That
Allowed
For
Them
Margaret
Homerding
Shellfish
Program
Manager
Nisqually
Indian
Tribe
June
21,
2013
2. Shellfish
growing
area
classifica=on
• You
can’t
harvest
shellfish
from
everywhere!
– Bacterial
loads
of
freshwater
inputs
– Bacterial
loads
of
marine
water
– Bacterial
loads
and
Toxin
levels
in
shellfish
meats
– Concentra=ons
of
pollutants
in
shellfish
meat
and
sediment
8. • Urban
• Densely
populated
– Sewer
ou[alls
– Poten=al
heavy
metal
pollu=on
from
industry
and
roadways
JBLM/Chambers
Creek
Area
9. • EPA-‐funded
NEP
grant
• 4
year
project
• Start
date
Oct.
1,
2010
• DOH
lead;
partners
include
Nisqually
Tribe,
Department
of
Ecology
Joint
Base
Lewis-‐McChord/Chambers
Creek
Prohibited
Area
Courtesy
of
WADOH
10. Elements
of
Study
• An
evalua=on
of
shellfish
resources
• A
human
health
assessment,
including
=ssue
and
sediment
sampling
• Circula=on
and
dilu=on
studies
12. Inter=dal
Shellfish
Survey
• Walking
the
shoreline
at
low
=de
• Digging
samples
of
clams
• Coun=ng
oysters
and
other
shellfish
observed
• No=ng
any
cri=cal
Habitat
13. Photo
by
Michael
Kyte
Inter=dal
Shellfish
Survey
• Lifle
to
few
clams
or
oysters
• Loss
of
habitat
due
to
development
•
armoring
of
shoreline
14. Underwater
Video
Survey
• Towing
a
video
camera
behind
a
boat
• Must
go
slowly
• Constantly
liging
and
dropping
camera
to
stay
close
to
the
bofom
16. • SCUBA
diving
along
set
transects
• Coun=ng
geoduck
and
horseclams
• No=ng
any
observed
species
• Marking
any
cri=cal
habitat
Sub=dal
Shellfish
Survey
17. Sub=dal
Shellfish
Survey
• Large
tracts
of
geoduck
beds
• Rela=vely
few
horse
clams
• Several
crabs
18. • Collec=ng
sediment
and
geoduck
samples
• Analysis
of
samples
for
likely
contaminates
Human
Health
Assessment
19. • Contact
or
inges=on
of
sediments
will
not
have
deleterious
affects
to
human
health
• Inges=on
of
geoduck
meat
will
not
increase
risk
of
disease
Human
Health
Assessment
20. Circula=on
and
dilu=on
Studies
• Drogue
study
to
verify
=me
of
=de
change
• Fluorometers
installed
in
front
of
geoduck
tracts
and
public
beaches
• Dye
injected
for
24.8
hours
• Dye
tracked
un=l
gone
25. Preliminary
Dye
Study
Results
• Lifle
or
no
dye
got
across
channel
or
to
north
Ketron
• Dye
was
restricted
between
Sunnyside
Beach
to
the
south
during
flood
=de
and
along
the
east
shore
north
past
Day
Island
Marina
during
ebb
=de.
• Final
closure
zone
for
Chambers
Creek
WWTP
should
not
impact
Fox
Island,
McNeil
Island
or
Ketron
Island
geoduck
tracts.
26. Next
steps
• Complete
Sub=dal
Resource
Surveys
• Dye
injec=on
study
at
JBLM
Sewage
treatment
plant
• Recommenda=ons
to
state
based
on
findings
• More
projects
27. Resources
• Mark
Toy.
Washington
State
Department
of
Health.
Restoring
Shellfish
Harvest
to
Joint
Base
Lewis-‐McChord/Chambers
Creek
Prohibited
Area.
2013
Pacific
Rim
Shellfish
Sanita=on
Conference.
Presented
April
3,
2013
• Bradbury,A.,
Sizemore,
R.,
Rothaus,
D.,
Ulrich,
M.
Washington
Stat
eMarine
Resources
unit
Fish
Management
Division
Fish
Program.
Stock
Assessment
of
Sub=dal
Geoduck
Clams
(Panopea
abrupta)
in
Washington.
January
2000.
• Nisqually
Reach
and
Henderson
Inlet
Shellfish
Protec=on
Districts
Combined
Shellfish
District
2008
Annual
Report.
Available
at:
hfp://www.co.thurston.wa.us/planning/natural-‐res/docs/shellfish-‐annual-‐
report-‐2008.pdf.
Accessed
6/21/2013