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Conservation Groups Sue State, Demanding Shoreline Protection
April 12, 2018 Protect Zangle Cove, the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat and Wild Fish Conservancy filed suit today against the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (“WDFW”), demanding an end to the improper exemption of industrial shellfish aquaculture projects from state standards designed to protect fish and marine habitats. Most construction projects in or near Washington waters must receive an Hydraulic Project Approval (“HPA”), which requires that they have safeguards in place to protect fish and their habitat. WDFW has exempted commercial aquaculture from this statutory requirement for many years, meaning aquaculture projects go forward...
Read MoreHow Much Plastic Do You Want In Your Orcas and Salmon?
Concerns about plastic in our marine environments are increasing—as they should! Every week new articles appear across news media and scientific journals, documenting the marine plastics disaster. The devastating impacts, and escalating dangers are clear. So we ask, “How much plastic do you want in your orcas and salmon?” Similarly, “How much plastic will we tolerate in our marine ecosystems?” Governor Inslee establishes Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force with Executive Order 18-02 READ THE ORDER The geoduck aquaculture industry embeds approximately 8 miles of PVC pipe per acre in pristine intertidal habitat areas of...
Read MoreShellfish Growers Netting Off Puget Sound Shorelines
The Coalition is hearing from more and more citizens about the negative impacts of industrial aquaculture practices in area waters. These images depict a small part of those impacts—in the form of plastic netting used in geoduck production. These nets, combined with other practices used throughout the geoduck production cycle on these tidelands, restrict the natural ecosystem, as well as citizens’ own access to the natural beauty of Puget...
Read MoreCoalition Sues Army Corps Over Cumulative Impacts
See a map of existing and proposed shellfish farms. July 31, 2016 Coalition Comments on Proposal to Reissue and Modify Nationwide Permits under the Clean Water Act Submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Read the complete document Excerpt: Our members appreciate the opportunity to comment on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) proposed reissuance and modification of the nationwide permits (“NWPs”) under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). The Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat (CPPSH) is disappointed that the Corps has failed to protect our natural resources by allowing more than minimal cumulative adverse impacts on the environment...
Read MoreCoalition Petitions Army Corps to Suspend New Permits
Read the Petition here PRESS RELEASE The Coalition To Protect Puget Sound Habitat filed a legal Petition today with the US Army Corps of Engineers, asking that the Corps suspend the use of the Clean Water Act Nationwide Permit 48, which allows industrial aquaculture activities in Puget Sound. The Coalition contends that the Corps has authorized too many of these industrial style shellfish operations. This Petition follows on the heels of the same group prevailing in Thurston County Superior Court. On April 3, 2015 the Court upheld a Shorelines Hearings Board Decision that ruled there was insufficient cumulative impact analysis in a Pierce County Shoreline...
Read MoreState (At Last) Disallows Neurotoxin Use In Willapa Bay
Many Coalition members and supporters are echoing the shock and dismay described in Danny Westneat’s April 28, 2015 Seattle Times article, Disbelief over state plan to spray neurotoxin into oyster beds. What can we do? The Coalition is consulting with experts about options, including filing an appeal with the Pollution Control Hearings Board. We will post updates as plans coalesce. UPDATES: April 9, 2018 No Imidacloprid Permit-You Saved Willapa Bay!! Our Coalition is excited that finally Washington regulators are not allowing more Washington native species to be destroyed in order to expand shellfish exports. Many thanks to all of you who helped us!! Washington...
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