News

Northwest Oyster Die-offs Show Ocean Acidification Has Arrived

11/21/11

The acidification of the world’s oceans from an excess of CO2 has already begun, as evidenced recently by the widespread mortality of oyster larvae in the Pacific Northwest. Scientists say this is just a harbinger of things to come if greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar.

Standing on the shores of Netarts Bay in Oregon on a sunny fall morning, it’s hard to imagine that the fate of the oysters being raised here at the Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery is being determined by what came out of smokestacks and tailpipes in the 1960s and ‘70s. But this rural coastal spot and the shellfish it has nurtured for centuries are a bellwether of one of the most palpable changes being caused by global carbon dioxide emissions — ocean acidification.

It was here, from 2006 to 2008, that oyster larvae began dying dramatically, with hatchery owners Mark Wiegardt and his wife, Sue Cudd, experiencing larvae losses of 70 to 80 percent. “Historically we’ve had larvae mortalities,” says Wiegardt, but those deaths were usually related to bacteria. After spending thousands of dollars to disinfect and filter out pathogens, the hatchery’s oyster larvae were still dying.

Finally, the couple enlisted the help of Burke Hales, a biogeochemist and ocean ecologist at Oregon State University. He soon homed in on the carbon chemistry of the water. “My wife sent a few samples in and Hales said someone had screwed up the samples because the [dissolved CO2 gas] level was so ridiculously high,” says Wiegardt, a fourth-generation oyster farmer. But the measurements were accurate. What the Whiskey Creek hatchery was experiencing was acidic seawater, caused by the ocean absorbing excessive amounts of CO2 from the air.

Ocean acidification — which makes it difficult for shellfish, corals, sea urchins, and other creatures to form the shells or calcium-based structures they need to live — was supposed to be a problem of the future. But because of patterns of ocean circulation, Pacific Northwest shellfish are already on the front lines of these potentially devastating changes in ocean chemistry. Colder, more acidic waters are welling up from the depths of the Pacific Ocean and streaming ashore in the fjords, bays, and estuaries of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, exacting an environmental and economic toll on the region’s famed oysters.

For the past six years, wild oysters in Willapa Bay, Washington, have failed to reproduce successfully because corrosive waters have prevented oyster larvae from forming shells. Wild oysters in Puget Sound and off the east coast of Vancouver Island also have experienced reproductive failure because of acidic waters. Other wild oyster beds in the Pacific Northwest have sustained losses in recent years at the same time that scientists have been measuring alarmingly corrosive water along the Pacific coast.

The region’s thriving oyster hatcheries have had to scramble to adapt to these increases in acidity, which pose a threat to their very existence. Some of the largest operations, such as Whiskey Creek, are buffering the water in which they grow their larvae, essentially giving their tanks a dose of antacid in the form of sodium bicarbonate.

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Parcel tax sought to support Contra Costa County, cities clean water program

12/6/11

Contra Costa County will pursue a countywide parcel tax of $12 to $22 per house per year to raise money to help meet more stringent federal clean water and stormwater runoff regulations.

The board of supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to participate in the election with the county's 19 cities in a partnership called the Contra Costa Clean Water Program. The cities and county are members, and each agency already pays a share based on population.

But experts estimate the coalition will be short $14 million in the next five years in its work to reduce pollution in water that runs off parking lots, buildings and other urban structures.

Property owners will receive ballots in the mail in February, and voting will continue until April 6.

Wildlife refuge rebuilds waterway's path; Salmon Creek restoration project completed

12/8/11

The chances of salmon spawn traveling through the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge and making it out to sea has now improved with a recently completed restoration project.

When the refuge began exploring the idea of restoring the area's Salmon Creek 10 years ago, salmon were getting into the creek, but instead of leaving when they were grown, the creek's man-altered channel was sending them back into the creek.

”That's really challenging,” refuge manager Eric Nelson said. “Obviously, there are a lot of factors and reasons why fish populations are depleting -- fishing offshore, climate change, activities happening upstream -- still, the best answer is to restore habitat.”

He said further scientific data pointed to habitat loss as the No. 1 reason for coho salmon disappearing. Nelson said the creek is also a habitat for steelhead and chinook, as well as lamprey and the red-legged frog.

Since the project's completion, the Department of Fish and Game has also identified steelhead smolt, tidewater goby and several adult salmonids -- which includes salmon or trout -- in the restoration area. The department has installed a pit tag reader on the creek to help monitor habitat use by salmonids over time.

Before the refuge took on the project, the creek's wetlands had been diked and turned into a pasture. Farro said the creek was a straight line channel before the restoration work.

Principal design engineer Mike Love said the project restored the stream's path by referencing an 1860s map and aerials. As the work began and trenches were dug, there were areas where clay turned into sand, which helped identify the water's original path, Love said.

In addition to the restored path, the design called for young willow trees to be planted and large structures added to the water to provide cover and food for developing salmon. The structures mimic historic conditions, when sloughs, channels, marsh and mudflats were covered with large rootwads and log jams.

Nelson said these elements are often missing from habitats now because bridges and culverts block the paths of trees going downstream.

Salmon need a protective habitat where they can live and feed for a year in order to grow into an appropriate size.

”It's kind of a neat thing to rebuild a creek,” Nelson said. “It's hard, you don't know what you're going to run into ... it's a good feeling to restore this habitat. We can't make it as diverse as it used to be, but it can develop into that.”

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Project Tortuga, Saving Endangered Sea Turtles in Mexico

Tis’ the season for giving and instead of buying tons of gagets you don’t need, consider spending your time and money helping save endangered species in Mexico. Humboldt Baykeeper’s Bay Exploration Skipper Chuck DeWitt has been traveling to San Pancho Mexico, about 35 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, to volunteer with Project Tortuga and save the olive ridley and leatherback sea turtle.

Project Tortuga has a 20 year record of successfully releasing endangered sea turtle eggs back to the ocean once they have hatched. The project is currently looking for volunteers and welcomes individuals, family and people of all ages to join the global effort to save these endangered sea turtles.

Learn more about the program by contacting the project founder Frank Smith at

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Comment period for Klamath dams removal environmental report extended to Dec. 30

11/19/11

The deadline for comments on the Klamath dams removal project’s environmental impact report has been extended to Dec. 30, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Friday.

Dennis Lynch, program manager for the Secretarial Determination on Klamath River dam removal, said the deadline was extended to give the public more time to review the environmental impact statement (EIS) and environmental impact report (EIR) documents.

The document will help U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar decide if the project is in the public interest. Salazar has until the end of March to decide on the project, which removes four dams from the Klamath River and initiates restoration work.

“The decision to remove or retain four Klamath River dams is of immense importance to the many Klamath Basin communities,” he said in a news release. “In addition to the peer-reviewed science and the environmental analysis, public comments on the draft EIS/EIR is also an important and critical component in shaping this decision. The Department of the Interior and the California Department of Fish and Game listened to the numerous requests to extend the comment period on this lengthy draft EIS/EIR and determined that it is in the best interest of the public to give additional time to review and comment.”

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