Shellfish logo used by permission, courtesy of the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association (PCSGA).

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What is a Shellfish Protection District?

The Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District was formed in 1998 by the Whatcom County Council because the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 90.72 requires that the county legislative authority create a shellfish protection district within 180 days after the State DOH closes or downgrades a shellfish growing area due to a degradation of water quality as a result of pollution. The purpose of establishing a Shellfish Protection District is to create a forum to address point and non-point sources of pollution that may be affecting water quality over the shellfish beds, with the intent of developing strategies to help restore the areas for shellfish harvesting. The advisory committee, consisting of nine members, is comprised of local citizens, local governments and tribal representatives with an interest in helping to improve the water quality of the harbor and the entire shellfish district. The ultimate goal of the committee is to make improvements to the water quality of the shellfish district to enable the shellfish beds to be re-classified to an approved status.

The Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District encompasses almost the entire Nooksack River watershed (see Figure 1). The three forks of the Nooksack- the North, Middle and South- drain approximately 826 square miles, an area extending from the northwestern slopes of the Cascades through the lowlands to Bellingham Bay. Click on Data/Maps to see additional maps of Portage Bay and the various water quality sample sites within the district.

The District provides an organized structure for communicating and addressing issues related to shellfish. The interaction between citizens and governmental agencies during committee meetings allows for quicker response to issues and helps to develop a shared commitment to resolving problems.

After the Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District was established in 1998, a Closure Response Strategy was developed as required by RCW 90.72 and as outlined in the Puget Sound Water Quality Management Plan (http://www.psat.wa.gov/Publications/manplan00/mp_index.htm), to address point and non-point source pollution within the Portage Bay watershed. The Closure Response Strategy identified 33 initial actions that were seen as the necessary first steps to addressing the pollution problems in the harbor. These actions were divided into several basic categories of potential pollution sources:

• On-site septic systems
• Municipal sewer systems
• Agricultural practices
• Stormwater runoff

To learn more about how the Portage Bay Shellfish District is working with local groups and agencies to address these various areas of concern, check out the Projects section to see what projects/programs are occurring in the district.