22 DECEMBER 2022 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG I first met Ken in 1978 as a prospective graduate student at the UWSchool of Fisheries and later as a graduate student in the 1980s. I came fromNew England, wishing to study shellfish, and he was “the man” on the West Coast. Ken was an important mentor and a wonderful friend. In fact, he encouraged me to prolong my graduate career to have a family and found a shellfish business. My first customer came following a phone call Ken made to a friend of his who owned a shellfish wholesale business in Seattle. I believe this will be Ken’s enduring legacy. He knew everyone and was so generous with his time and contacts to the benefit of his students and the shellfish industry generally—he was always advocating for the industry, whether it was through his work with the WRAC, the WAS, NSA or the WDFW Fisheries Commission. Ken particularly focused on collaborating with the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association through his student’s work, always encouraging us to consider how their work might benefit the shellfish industry. I co-taught Ken’s course in shellfish in the mid-1990s while he was busy with the WRAC and planning for the new SAFS building and I learned a lot about what he felt was important for students to learn about shellfish. I will treasure his frequent phone calls over the many years — just to check in. “Hey Jotho!....what’s going on.....” Ken was on the very short list for receiving a lifetime supply of Baywater Shellfish oysters and clams —needless to say, he used his account frequently. At the end, all I can say is that I was so privileged to have a long friendship with Ken Chew. He was simply a larger-than-life presence in my life and I will deeply miss his humor, wisdom, storytelling and especially his enthusiasm for life. He cared about Puget Sound and the research and the collaborations necessary to conserve its resources. He will be missed by so many of us. — Joth Davis It was the Spring of 1982 and Dr. Chew informed me of a potential job opening with the WADept. of Fisheries, at the Pt. Whitney Shellfish Lab. We got on the phone together and called the lab director. Ken came to life, being highly animated like he can be, and “sold me.” He said to the director, “Hey man, I’ve got a hotshot here. Man, this guy is so good he should be teaching my class.” I got the job which was the single most important stepping stone in my work career. He is a friend and I will be indebted to him forever. — Thomas Bettinger Like many other of his students, I owe my career to Ken. When I graduated, he introduced me to Dick Steele with Rock Point Oyster Company. Just like TomBettinger mentioned, he told Dick “Hey man, I’ve got a hotshot here.” That was the beginning of 40+ years and counting working in the shellfish industry and loving every day of it. I am blessed to have had Ken (aka Dr. Shellfish) as a mentor and friend and am forever indebted to him. Ken was immensely proud of his students, never failing to call them out and sing their praises whenever he had the chance. His contributions to shellfish research and the shellfish industry world over are too numerous to count. One example he would mention periodically stands out to me. Ken provided China with 18 bay scallops from the East Coast. Today they lead the world in scallop aquaculture. Bay scallops, thanks to Ken, account for much of that production. In addition to researching and sharing the virtues of shellfish, Ken was an avid consumer. He had an open account at Taylor Shellfish Farms that he often took advantage of. My goodness, that man loved his shellfish. — Bill Dewey I am full of thanks that I got to work with Ken. I’ve taken myself to a spot where I can look out over the water, see the fish jumping, hear the clams squirting, and be awash in the abundance that Ken soaked up every day of his life. He loved this beautiful world. His enthusiasmwas magnetic, infectious and seemingly without end. Ken was a legend when I began my career in the 1980s. We crossed paths in the late 1990s when I started Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) and began working on Olympia oyster restoration. In 2006, I joined the Board of Pacific Shellfish Institute, on which Ken also served. From then on, we forged a strong bond over a shared commitment to help restore shellfish growing areas in Puget Sound affected by pollution. It was (and still is) a huge, seemingly intractable challenge in the face of population growth. But the vision of productive, beautiful bays growing a bounty of world-class shellfish has been a clarion call for many in the shellfish community. Ken championed this cause with gusto. My collaborations with Ken expanded in 2014, when I had the honor of working with NOAA and Joth Davis to establish the Kenneth K. Chew Center of Shellfish Research and Restoration, located at NOAA’s Manchester Research Station. Operated by PSRF, the Chew Center revived shellfish research initiated by Ken in the 70s and created a hub for native shellfish restoration. It was special to establish a facility named after Ken. Special to him and special to us. Inspired by Ken’s work, the Chew Center advances the field of restoration aquaculture, culturing Olympia oysters, pinto abalone, basket cockles, native little necks, sea cucumbers, bull kelp, and sugar kelp. Ken relished all of it. PSRF is committed to keeping the Chew Center humming along, bustling with research and restoration activity. To carry Ken’s spirit forward in my own life, I will love this beautiful world, every day, and soak up the bounty of the marine waters around us. — Betsy Peabody I’m very fortunate and privileged to have known Ken. I remember years ago when I was working with the Department of Fish andWildlife and Ken asked me to contribute and co-author the re-write of the “Guide to Manila ClamCulture inWashington.” As I
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