WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2019 35 TABLE 4. Summary of stakeholder focus group meeting, Drayton Harbor, 28 April 2009. Overall perceptions Really enjoy eating shellfish. Believe they help with water quality. Feel that shellfish is healthy/good for you. Gives a chance to volunteer/ contribute to community. Brings people together (e.g. oyster run). Feels that Drayton Harbor oysters are best in the world. Concerned/ uncertain about who is ultimately responsible: feds/ state? Sense a lack of help/assistance from government. Concerned that native populations have been decimated by overharvesting and pollution. Feels that we’ve gotten to a sad place (e.g. closures). Feel that shellfish define who we are and what we are: it’s a precious resource. Shellfish help people better understand ecologic linkages. Benefits of shellfish Shellfish help us understand if we’re living sustainably upland “canary in coal mine”. Builds community and raises awareness. Economic benefit of having the industry in Blaine. Recovery of shellfish also economically beneficial—people employed in recovery efforts. Helps build a connection between kids and parents. Consequences of shellfish Cost to individual landowners can be high (individuals with failing septics; farmers, etc). There are inconsistencies with assigning blame. Municipalities bear costs that aren’t being addressed. Aquaculture can create problems on a large scale: water quality (BOD); metals/plastics; structures built to maintain them. Cost to community for influx of visitors. Future visions Local political will needed for state to continue investing resources. Would like to see a Drayton Harbor for future generations. Would like plentiful, diverse, clean shellfish for recreational and commercial harvest. Would like viable income coming from harvest; fees in community to support it. Can’t have cumbersome rules and regulations 50 years hence. Statue of an oyster commemorating them, identifying what we almost lost. Trade-offs Willing to address water quality issues from individual property (infiltrate on-site). Willing to pay higher taxes to prevent subdivision of farmland (in form of an income tax); some willing to pay specifically if it goes to address water quality issues in DH. Willing to try to educate elected officials (their actions, as well as who gets elected). Some not willing to pay additional taxes—thinks no net new taxes is important. Sense from many that a lot of volunteer time has already been committed to this effort. Additional comments Very important that blame is not unfairly assigned; that we better link water quality problems to known land use issues. Many felt there is an underlying lack of understanding of how the “system” works, who is in charge, who makes decisions. Need to develop a better understanding of the true costs to the community of all the outside visitors to Blaine for shellfish festivals/ harvesting. Key points from focus group Drayton Harbor shellfish considered among the best, not just in the region but in the world. This is not being captured/ recognized. The community farm has been a huge centering point for the community, has served to draw many diverse people together and give them a sense of “place” and belonging. Many felt very strongly that their volunteer efforts here were one of the most rewarding things they did in their lives. Shellfish are a precious resource—what has happened (water quality problems; closures of beds) is deeply upsetting to many people. Strong sense that too many people are the biggest part of the problem. State would like to continue to invest resources here but needs local political will and support to build the case. A viable industry very important; support for fees in community to support it.
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