healthy tomales bay

Tomales Bay Oyster Co. Coastal Development Permit Approved

The Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Tomales Bay Oyster Company’s existing shellfish aquaculture operations permit at the August 10th Commission Meeting including conditions to help safeguard eelgrass habitat in the future.

The "conditions provide support for many species in the bay: the coho salmon, brant...” said Ashley Eagle-Gibbs, EAC legal and policy director, “There have been significant declines in shorebirds on Tomales Bay. It’s great that this operator is now in compliance and there are strong protections for habitat and eelgrass.”

Public Interest Criteria Move Forward for CA Aquaculture

As part of our healthy Tomales Bay campaign, we monitor our local aquaculture industry to make sure it’s sustainable and any new leases are located in areas that are not harmful to the environment. . We work to ensure that coastal resources, like eelgrass, species of special concern, endangered and native species, marine mammals, and shore and waterbirds are protected in Tomales Bay and beyond.

This month, the Fish and Game Commission (Commission) Marine Resources Committee will be reviewing new public interest criteria guidelines to use for their review of new aquaculture lease considerations. Essentially, this is a first-step checklist for the Commission to review when a new lease application is received that will help the Commission to make an informed decision whether that lease should be (or should not be) allowed to move forward based on the public’s best interest.

Hydraulic Clamming Pumps Now Banned!

With increases in recreational fishing during the pandemic, here in West Marin we witnessed an increase in clamming and the use of hydraulic pumps. Hydraulic pumps can collect a full day's worth of clams at varying tide levels in just a few minutes and leave behind significant habitat damage. As part of our work to ensure environmentally responsible fisheries, we successfully advocated with partners for an emergency statewide ban of hydraulic pumps for harvesting clams, sand crabs, and shrimp. This spring, we were thrilled when the Fish and Game Commission applied a permanent rule to fully ban the use of these tools for harvesting clams, sand crabs, and shrimp. Our spring Legal and Policy intern, Rachel Clyde, joined our advocacy on this topic, speaking at the Fish and Game Commission meetings in the winter and spring of 2022.

Tell the Fish & Game Commission What Tomales Bay Means to You!

On March 24th, the California Fish and Game’s Marine Resources Committee (MRC) will be discussing aquaculture leasing in California. If you are a member of the public who enjoys Tomales Bay, we need you to send in a note about how you enjoy Tomales Bay (example: fishing, boating, birding, wildlife watching, clamming, kayaking, the protection of environmentally sensitive habitat areas, etc.). Can you send an email to the Commission by Monday, March 21st at 12pm.? Send your email to fgc@fgc.ca.gov. Comments submitted by noon on 3/21 will be provided to the Commissioners the day of the meeting. Thank you to our members and constituents that already sent in comments!

Coastal Act Preserved: CA Assembly Bill 303 Pulled!

We have good news to report! Through our efforts in coordinating a statewide aquaculture coalition of coastal groups, we successfully organized a strategy and succeeded in having the Assembly Natural Resources Committee’s January hearing for California Assembly Bill (AB) 303 (Aquaculture: mariculture production and restoration: pilot program) canceled at the request of the bill author.

Healthy Tomales Bay Campaign Update

Our Healthy Tomales Bay campaign seeks to ensure the sustainability of the competing uses in the Bay, where we monitor the sustainability of recreational and commercial fishing, and help to ensure aquacultural best practices to reduce or eliminate marine debris and avoid impacting sensitive eelgrass habitat vital to declining fish and bird species. This blog post summarizes our 2021 work on this campaign.

Healthy Tomales Bay: State Aquaculture Updates

It’s been a busy spring for aquaculture related items in the state. We are working to ensure local and state aquaculture development is sustainable. This is an important issue in coastal Marin, as much of the eastern shoreline of Tomales Bay includes aquaculture farms and requires monitoring and engagement.

We continue our work on the Healthy Tomales Bay campaign including a focus on making sure that local and statewide aquaculture is sustainable. In March, we testified at the Fish and Game Commission (FGC) Marine Resources Committee (MRC) meeting, where updates were provided on statewide aquaculture efforts including the development of an aquaculture action plan under the guidance of the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and statewide aquaculture principles.

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