Geoduck Aquaculture on the BC Coast An introduction to Integrated Geoduck Management Framework Association for Denman Island Marine Stewards May 2017
What do we see? A plan that creates new threats for our marine ecosystem
The IGMF A new plan for geoduck aquaculture from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Prioritizes industry over habitat protection Not science based, not ecosystem based Contaminates coastal waters with tons of PVC pipe and plastic netting Puts the largest herring spawn on the Pacific coast at risk Allows geoduck aquaculture in estuaries, spawning and nursery grounds
What are geoducks? Panopea generosa World s largest burrowing saltwater clams Native to the west coast Bury themselves up to 1 m. deep in sand, mud, gravel Live in colonies, from low intertidal zone to over 100 metres deep Can live 140 160 years Eat plankton Food for sea otters
Why geoduck aquaculture when there is already a commercial wild harvest? Geoducks are not only seafood popular in China as an aphrodisiac Why? a long phallic-looking siphon (neck) High prices Growing demand
Two kinds of geoduck aquaculture Intertidal Uses the deep intertidal zone exposed only at the lowest tides 15 years in Puget Sound Subtidal Uses the sea bed under 10 metres of water, and deeper New system: untried, unproven No long-term / cumulative impact studies have been done on either method Without research, and without an ecosystem-based management approach, the Pacific Coast becomes an experimental zone
Intertidal 100,000 pipes /hectare (10 / m2) Juvenile geoducks (loonie size) 33.6 metric tonnes / hectare of PVC placed in substrate Harvested after 4-5 years Placements done in rotation continuous harvest PVC pipes to protect them Anti-predator netting
Subtidal Juveniles placed in the sea bed 10 metres or deeper Nets draped over & buried in the sandy seabed Exploits subtidal ecological zone not exploited before No proof subtidal method is ecologically sustainable No proof it is economically sustainable Underwater Harvester Association photo of subtidal geoduck culture
Threats Long term negative impacts: seabirds, salmon, eagles, forage fish caused by materials & equipment 1. Plastic nets (anti-predator nets) Cover herring spawning grounds & trap herring Contain phthalates, which leach out Phthalates are endocrine disruptors Create microplastics: break down into micro-fibres
Threats 2. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipe Breaks down into microplastics Is toxic: federal govt. toxic substances list Magnifies toxins up the food web
Denman Island is an example of how the geoduck framework puts industry before habitat protection The west side of Denman is open for intertidal geoduck aquaculture The colour codes reflect use by the wild harvesting industry. COLOURLESS open for licencing YELLOW - open for licencing RED open to licencing of First Nations RED STRIPE conditional closure, may be temporary Many tenures there, already in good sandy ground (estuaries)
Denman Island is an example of how the geoduck framework puts industry before habitat protection The IGMF application review process delivers piecemeal protection of critical fish habitat Many tenures will be able to convert to intertidal geoduck aquaculture Microplastics are a threat: to herring, by increasing the level of contamination in spawning and nursery grounds to the shellfish industry
Pacific herring larva European sea perch larva with microplastics
Here s what you can do Keep connected with ADIMS. We are planning more actions www.adims.ca, or our Facebook page Send a letter to the Minister for Fisheries and Oceans, Dominic LeBlanc Question the IGMF Cc your MP Ask your local government to send a letter of concern to the minister Be aware. Your intertidal and subtidal areas should be zoned for conservation, and should not allow aquaculture of any kind. Herring spawning around Denman and Hornby Islands