Bainbridge Island
Community Shellfish Farm

BACKGROUND
Sustainable Bainbridge has joined in partnership with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund  along with a number of other local groups to create a Community Shellfish Farm (CSF) on Bainbridge Island.  The CSF will both provide the Bainbridge Island community with locally grown clams and oysters while fostering efforts in protecting water quality and the preservation of our Bainbridge Island marine ecosystem. 

Current partners include: Puget Sound Restoration Fund; Bloedel Reserve; Bainbridge Island Watershed Council; City of Bainbridge Island; Bainbridge Island School District;
Kitsap Health District; and Washington Department of Health.

The long term goal is to support ongoing community involvement in local farming, water quality protection, and to use the proceeds of the sales of shellfish to fund local shoreline habitat and water quality improvements.

The CSF is scheduled to be launched in the Fall 2009. Volunteers from the Island will be an integral part of all aspects of the CSF from planting and cultivating seed to harvesting and selling shellfish at local farmers markets, grocery stores and area restaurants.

Visit the Puget Sound Restoration Fund website at http://www.restorationfund.org  to learn more.  Find out more details about the project by reading the draft project proposal which can be found at http://www.restorationfund.org/projects-shellfishfarm-bainbridge.php

Read the article on the Sound Food website.

January 2010 Update 

The Puget Sound Restoration Fund  (PSRF) is getting ready to plant oysters in April this year at the Community Shellfish Farm site at the Bloedel Reserve.   They are planning to plant big seed so they can harvest the first oyster crop this summer.

PSRF is planning to organize a CSA (community-supported aquaculture) program.  For a $270 investment, shareholders will receive 30 dozen oysters over the course of 5 harvests.  A $200 investment will yield 20 dozen, and a $120 investment 10 dozen.  This way residents in the watershed and around the island can reap the benefits of clean water and feel more connected to the health of Bainbridge shorelines.  If you share a membership with a friend, you can enjoy slurping together at the lower cost.

PSRF has also been fundraising for the farm itself, so they can keep it going.

Along with the community shellfish farm, PSRF is also planning to work with Kitsap Health District on a number of watershed education projects to address septic issues, dog waste, etc.

To sign up for Bainbridge Island’s first Community Supported Aquaculture (CSA) Program, please contact Jo Myers, (970) 903-7935.  For more information about the project, please contact Betsy Peabody, 780-6947.  (Note:  Morgan Rohrbach, the project manager, is on maternity leave until May 1st.)

JULY 2009 UPDATE

Final approval for the city permit with the Department of Ecology was received. That means, two down and one more to go!  We are in the public comment period for our Army Corps of Engineers Permit.  Comments will be accepted until July 18th, 2009.

Positive comments are appreciated, please send comments to Pam at the Army Corps of Engineers via email:  Pamela.Sanguinetti@usace.army.mil and include the subject heading Puget Sound Restoration Fund; NWS-2009-228.

In your comments please include any or all of the following supportive comments: 

  • The Puget Sound Restoration Fund has been conducting successful on the ground restoration projects in Puget Sound for the last decade.
  • Habitat improvement surrounding this project has already began with trash pick up on the proposed beach and funding of a mobile marine pump out boat within Port Madison Bay.
  • The City of Bainbridge Island and the Department of Ecology have, after thorough review and public comment, granted permission to this project because it  has many community benefits and is designed to have a limited impact on the marine environment.
  • This project has received a lot of public support, with 50 volunteers already signed up before there are any opportunities for public involvement!
  • The CSF won’t cost the local or state governments any money.
  • The community aspect and public outreach component of this project will spur interest in local water quality and habitat restoration.
  • The project will provide a marine outlet for local middle school and high school students to get out to the beach and learn about our intertidal ecosystem.
  • Oysters will filter out excess nutrients while they are in the water.  This stretch of beach has a very large mass of algae that is likely associated with excess nutrients from inside Port Madison Bay or from another local source.
  • Shellfish will provide a local and sustainable source of protein for our community.
    The aesthetic impacts of the farm will be minimal since the farm will be located below +3 elevation MLLW and small in scale.
  • Impacts to essential fish habitat will be minimal due to the fact that the farm will be placed at elevations that are not used for spawning by herring, smelt or sand lance.  Additionally the farm will not occur within 25’ of native eelgrass beds.

JUNE 2009 UPDATE

  • The City of Bainbridge Island has made a final decision to approve the Shoreline Conditional Use Permit as of June 9th, 2009. The project now moves to Ecology who will have one week to send COBI a letter approving the project or requesting additional info.
  • A cultural survey was completed pro-bono by islander Glenn Hartmann  (Cultural Resource Consultants, Inc).  This was a requirement for our Army Corps Permit and provided useful historical information about the surrounding site and area.  There were no cultural resources identified within the project area.
  • PSRF applied for a Bainbridge Community Foundation Grant in the amount of $10,000.  Grantees will be notified by the end of June. 
  • PSRF is teaming up with “Sweet Pea”, a mobile marine pump-out vessel to conduct a pilot project this July, 2009.  “Sweet Pea” will be available inside Port Madison Bay every Sunday in July.  The goal is to let boaters know this service is available and prove that there is a market for having a pump-out service in the Bay.  There are 72 docks, two marinas and no pump-out currently available in the bay.  PSRF will be raising $1200 to run this pilot project.  Volunteers will be needed to let visiting and residential boaters know about this service.
  • The Army Corps Permit is still in process; hopefully we will have this permit by September, 2009.
  • PSRF currently has over 50 volunteers signed up for the CSF – ready to go as soon as we have permits in hand!