Point Reyes Station, California – The Coastal Commission (Commission) unanimously approved the Tomales Bay Oyster Company’s existing shellfish aquaculture operations permit at the August 10, 2022 Commission Meeting including conditions to help safeguard eelgrass habitat in the future.
Tomales Bay Oyster Company’s long-standing aquaculture operation has official Commission approval for their 33-acre operation, including use of on-bottom and off-bottom/floating oyster cultivation equipment within 160-acre area of leased state tidelands in Tomales Bay, Marin County. The new permit also approved a past clean-up of 628 cubic yards of marine debris by Tomales Bay Oyster Company.
In July 2022, culminating years of work, the Commission released a Staff Report evaluating the permit application and conditions to permit after-the-fact development. Following the release of the report, Commission staff, Tomales Bay Oyster Company, and non-profit environmental organizations, including the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin and California Audubon, submitted comments and discussed additional considerations to provide additional space for the expansion of eelgrass habitat that included removal of additional marine debris; a barge; increased spacing between bottom bags to protect eelgrass habitat; and a timeline for staff training, gear marking, and removal.
Over the years, the Commission staff has updated permits for aquaculture operators in the State of California. This process has included updating permits for aquaculture operations in Tomales Bay (including Hog Island Oyster Company, Marin Oyster Company, and Tomales Bay Oyster Company) to update development, gear, species cultivation, and bring operators with out-of-date or operations that pre-dated Commission permitting standards into compliance.
Throughout the statewide aquaculture updates, the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, a local environmental non-profit based in Point Reyes Station, has participated in the public process emphasizing the importance of the Tomales Bay habitat, species of special biological significance, such as eelgrass (Zostera marina), and declining numbers of local bird species in Tomales Bay.
Eelgrass beds are protected under state and federal law due to the crucial role of eelgrass habitat in aquatic ecosystems, and its susceptibility to harm from human impacts. Tomales Bay contains approximately 1,288 acres of eelgrass that accounts for about 9 percent of the total eelgrass habitat in California.
Eelgrass shelters; provides nursery habitat; and indirectly feeds species of fish, birds, and other aquatic marine life; cleans the water; produces oxygen; and protects the coastline from erosion. In addition, eelgrass provides an important carbon sequestration benefit by removing carbon from the atmosphere at rates 35 percent greater than the rainforest! Eelgrass pulls carbon from the water, as part of photosynthesis, and locks it away in the sediment. Eelgrass habitat is incredibly difficult and expensive to restore, so it is critical to safeguard remaining habitat areas from development and disturbance.
Throughout the permit update process, the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin and Tomales Bay Oyster Company remained in contact and discussed creative solutions to protect the extensive eelgrass beds that are present in the Tomales Bay Oyster Company operation area. The new conditions in the Tomales Bay Oyster Company permit will benefit eelgrass by minimizing environmental disturbance and reducing marine debris through prevention, training, and clean-up efforts.
The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin and Tomales Bay Oyster Company continue to partner on Coastal Clean Up Day efforts to remove litter from Tomales Bay. Tomales Bay Oyster Company will continue their longstanding dedication to removing legacy marine debris from the oldest continuously operated lease in the state, including the removal of an additional 70 cubic yards of marine debris and a barge in the next year.
“The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin is thankful to the Coastal Commission staff and Tomales Bay Oyster Company’s dedication to bring this complex and long-standing lease into permit compliance under the Coastal Act. The strong natural resource conditions in this permit will help protect Tomales Bay’s sensitive and dynamic habitat. Many species of fish and birds, including Pacific herring, Coho salmon, Dungeness crab, and Brant depend on Tomales Bay’s extensive eelgrass beds. Eelgrass is invaluable for its habitat and carbon sequestration value, and it should be protected. ”
For More Information:
California Coastal Commission, Meeting Agenda Item W12a, August 10, 2022
August 10th Hearing Video Agenda Item W12a
About EAC: Founded in 1971, the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC)’s mission is to protect and sustain the unique lands, waters, and biodiversity of West Marin. Since its founding, EAC has protected Tomales Bay and its watershed, including securing its nomination as the 19th USA Ramsar site or international wetland of importance in 2002, and preventing agricultural development of the Giacomini Wetlands. EAC works collaboratively to protect coastal and marine resources and acts as a council member for the Tomales Bay Watershed Council, co-chair of the Golden Gate Marine Protected Area Collaborative, and is a member of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. EAC remains committed to the long-term health of the Tomales Bay watershed. https://www.eacmarin.org
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