Little shrimp, big problem: Can small oyster farms survive in WA?

WILLAPA BAY and GRAYS HARBOR — Any party with an interest in the economic and ecological future of Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor now faces a simple, yes-or-no question. Should there be a place in the estuaries for small- to medium-scale commercial aquaculture?

The answer to that question ultimately depends on one’s values, stakes and frame of reference.

State agencies, by definition, tread on a knife’s edge of neutrality, hewing close to both their legal mandates and their obligation to represent the interests of all Washingtonians. Those interests are myriad and often incompatible.

“It’s really positive that the legislature took formal steps to affirm the value of the [Integrated Pest Management] working group and the value of collaboration,” says Bobbak Talebi, southwest region directo