Business Environment

Public input sought on proposed geoduck farm in Burley Lagoon

Pierce County is soliciting public comments about a Draft Environmental Impact Statement that has been issued for a proposed geoduck farm in Burley Lagoon.

Taylor Shellfish Farms is proposing to raise geoducks like these in Burley Lagoon. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons/Flickr https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Taylor Shellfish Farms is seeking to convert its existing Manila clam and oyster beds to the growing of geoduck clams. The geoducks would be planted in rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and/or HDPE flexible mesh nursery tubes throughout a 25.5-acre area. Netting could be used to keep out predators during part of the 6-year growing cycle. Planting would be done in phases.

The proposed site is inside of the Purdy bridge and sandpit at the southern end of the estuary.

Geoducks are planted in PVC tubes. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons/Flickr https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The public can comment until Nov. 17 on the accuracy and completeness of the DEIS environmental analysis, the methodology used in the analysis, and whether there is a need for more information or mitigation so improvements can be made before it’s finalized.

Comments can be made by email to [email protected], by letter to Pierce County Planning and Public Works Department, attn. Ty Booth, 2401 S. 35th St., Suite 2, Tacoma, WA 98409-7490, or in the “submit a comment” link on the webpage https://www.piercecountywa.gov/7418/Proposed-Burley-Lagoon-Geoduck-Farm, where there is more information.