·     

Fisheries and Oceans has not demonstrated that industrial geoduck aquaculture, either intertidal or subtidal, is safe to practice in the marine environment.

Unlike wild geoduck harvesting, both the intertidal and subtidal types of geoduck aquaculture introduce tons of plastic gear to the ocean and cover large areas of the seabed with netting and PVC pipes.

None of this plastic gear can be kept securely in place, and rapidly becomes derelict plastic trash: hazardous to wildlife and feedstock for toxins and microplastics.

The marine areas used by geoduck aquaculture are critical to the survival of other species like Pacific sand lance and Pacific herring, as well as salmon, eagles and blue herons.

In summary: geoduck aquaculture methods alter vital marine habitat and permanently contaminate the marine ecosystem with microplastics and toxins.

We ask Jonathan Wilkinson to reverse his decision and stop industrial geoduck aquaculture on our coast.