Executive Summary
The UW Shellfish Farm concept is a collaborative effort between students and faculty from the UW School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences (SAFS), School of Marine & Environmental Affairs (SMEA), and Department of Biology, along with Taylor Shellfish Inc. and other shellfish industry stakeholders. We seek to establish a student-run shellfish farm at the Big Beef Creek Research Station, a SAFS field site on Hood Canal. The Farm is a two-phase project, and was awarded one year of funding from the Campus Sustainability Fund in Summer 2015. Phase I (feasibility study and business plan) was completed in Summer 2016. The current project sets out to conduct an aquaculture research trial at the Big Beef Creek Research Preserve (BBC), where the farm will eventually be located. This project will provide critical biological information on optimal conditions for shellfish aquaculture that will inform implementation.
The successful implementation of the UW Shellfish Farm concept depends on characterizing intertidal areas at BBC that exhibit optimal environmental conditions for shellfish growth. To that end, our team will deploy different shellfish species at multiple sites at BBC, monitoring growth, survival, and environmental conditions over the course of one year. Campus Sustainability Funds will be used to purchase necessary culture supplies (e.g. re-usable cages) and shellfish seed, and will support students to conduct the grow-out of shellfish at BBC. The students will also continue the ongoing permitting process initiated in Phase I, assist in developing educational outreach material, and use the data generated to initiate a long-term environmental monitoring program as highlighted in our Phase I proposal. Involved students will gain firsthand knowledge and skills required to operate a shellfish aquaculture business.