A REVIEW OF SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE METHODS EMPLOYED IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST OF THE UNITED STATES

Gleyn E. Bledsoe, PhD, CPA
The Shellfish Aquaculture Industry in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, and Alaska) has numerous shellfish farms with some being founded as late early as the late 1870s. The most common species farmed is the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas). Other farmed shellfish species include the native Olympia Oyster (Ostrea lurida), European Flat (Ostrea edulis), the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica), Kumamoto Oysters (Crassostrea sikamea), Blue Mussel (Mytilus trossulus), Mediterranean Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), Manila clams (Tapes philippanirum), Littleneck Clams (Protothaca staminea), Butter Clams (Saxidomus giganteous), Geoduck (Panope abrupta), Pink & Spiny Scallops (Chlamys rubida & Chlamys hastata), Pacific Razor Clam (Siliqua patula), Basket Cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii), Spot Prawns (Pandalus platyceros), Green Sea Urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis), Red Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus), Sea Cucumber (Stichopus californicus), Northern Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana ), Dungeness Crab (Cancer magister), and a number of lesser molluscan shellfish. Initially, most of the producers employed extensive methods of culture. The trend now is toward the use of a variety of intensive systems. Many of these systems employ common tech-nologies, but often with unique variations to overcome individual species requirements, environmental conditions, public scrutiny, security, shortages of adequate water, and cost. Typical as well as innovative systems
will be presented and discussed.