Marine spatial planning for shellfish
aquaculture: tools, activities, and conflict
resolution
Julie Rose
Nancy Balcom, Damian Brady, Suzanne Bricker, Susan Bunsick, Cary Chadwick, Anoushka Concepcion, Sylvain DeGuise, Tessa
Getchis, Laura Hoeberecht, Jamie Miller, Cori Rose, Michael Rubino, Bill Walton
Addressing spatial and social challenges to shellfish
aquaculture in the United States
• Spatial
• Ensuring a place for aquaculture in the coastal environment
• New tools and developments in nearshore marine spatial planning
• Strengths and limitations of GIS-based tools for conflict resolution
• Social
• Major barrier to aquaculture expansion throughout the United States
• Conflict can be both internal and external
• Opportunities provided by National and State-based Shellfish Initiatives to open dialogue, educate, and find common ground
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 2
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 3
Tools for addressing spatial challenges to
shellfish aquaculture
• GIS technology has given growers and regulators the
ability to visualize and minimize potential use conflicts
• Maps are becoming increasingly available in many
states
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 4
Mapping and site selection
Connecticut Aquaculture
Mapping AtlasMassachusetts Online Data
Viewer
New York Shellfish iMap
Aquaculture Mapping Atlas: GIS Layers
1) Street map: locate, identify area of interest
2) Add Imagery
Aquaculture Mapping Atlas: GIS Layers
Aquaculture Mapping Atlas: GIS Layers
3) Navigation layers: channel + buffer, bathymetry, cables, buoys
4) Shellfish Beds: location of municipal/state/natural beds
Aquaculture Mapping Atlas: GIS Layers
5) Shellfish classification: prohibited, conditional, approved
Aquaculture Mapping Atlas: GIS Layers
6) Environmental sensitivity index: habitats, species, diversity
Aquaculture Mapping Atlas: GIS Layers
7) Marina location: use conflicts
Aquaculture Mapping Atlas: GIS Layers
Step 1: Output“Suitable” sites based on mapping
Site 1.
Site 2.
Limitations of static mapping
Patrolia et al. (2016) combined boat-
based visual surveys with participant
intercept surveys to map human uses
of RI coastal lagoons
Participants indicated high use in the
entire area; observations suggest use
was not uniformly distributed
Some uses may appear to conflict but
in reality do not (e.g. water skiing &
recreational clamming)
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 13
Blue = reported use
Yellow = observed use
Limitations of static mapping: How well will
shellfish grow in “leftover” spaces?
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 14
Several farm-scale models are commercially available
to address biological production, ecological carrying
capacity, and environmental impacts
Pilot Study – Connecticut waters of Long Island
Sound
Sampling Details
Milford: Monthly for a year
Westport & Stonington: May-September
Station 09 and H2: Long-term water quality
monitoring stations; >15 years data
Environmental Inputs for FARM model
Temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen,
chlorophyll, particulates, current speeds
Pilot Study – Connecticut waters of Long Island
Sound
Typical culture practices
Collection of seed oysters (1-2 in) from
restricted areas
Grow out to 3 in harvest size in
conditional/approved leased areas
Days to harvest from 1 to 3 inches
indicator of site suitability
Thresholds for growth categories
High growth = <365 days
Moderate growth = 365 – 1095 days
Slow / low growth = 1095 – 1500 days
Not suitable for siting aquaculture = >1500
days
Results for pilot locations
High Growth; <365 days
Moderate Growth; 365 - 1095 days
Benefits of a combined approach
• Mapping does not address production potential - will
the target organism grow? At what rate in the system?
• Integrated, mapping + modeling allows users to
simultaneously address social, environmental,
economic factors towards an improved decision-making
process
• Responsible growth: expand into areas without
existing conflicts that are best suited for shellfish
production
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 18
Sustainable Ecological Network (SEANET)
• Damian C. Brady
• Paul Anderson
• University of Maine
• Carrie Byron
• Barry Costa-Pierce
• University of New England
Modeling and Monitoring Approach
Place-Based and Idea-Based (organism-
based)
Sea weed: hydrodynamics, light, and nutrient
dynamics
Oysters: hydrodynamics, nutrient, light,
and productivity dynamics
Salmon: hydrodynamics (sea
lice transport)
Slides from Damian Brady, U. Maine
What we are monitoring
Slides from Damian Brady, U. Maine
(LOBOs):
Land Ocean
Biogeochemical
Observatories
LandSat to identify growing areas
• Unprecedented resolution
• Temperature (feeding rate, superchill)
• Chlorophyll (food)
• Turbidity (clarity)
Slides from Damian Brady, U. Maine
Large-scale approach to aquaculture expansion
• “Finding the next Damariscotta River”: identify large
areas that are likely to be supportive of shellfish
growth and prioritize them for development
• Take advantage of new tools in water quality
management and apply them to aquaculture
• End of Trial-and-Error Aquaculture: Reduce risk for
new farms
Tools for addressing social challenges to
shellfish aquaculture
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 24
Social challenges can be external and internal
NIMBY opposition to aquaculture common in USA:
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 25
Social challenges can be external and internal
Internal fights can also exist within shellfish
stakeholder community
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 26
National Shellfish Initiative
Goal: increase populations of bivalves through shellfish farming and restoration
Encourage commercial and restoration shellfish communities to work together
Launched in 2011 to implement NOAA Aquaculture Policy
Slides from Michael Rubino, NOAA
Focus Areas: Benefits:
Spatial planning and efficient
permitting
Research on environmental
effects
Technologies for restoration and
farming
Coordinated and innovative
financing
Jobs
Habitat improvement
Species protection
Domestic Seafood
Shoreline protection
Slides from Michael Rubino, NOAA
National Accomplishments: High Level Attention
• National Ocean Council directive: NOAA and USDA to implement National Shellfish Initiative (2013)
• National Strategic Plan for Federal Aquaculture Research 2014
• Interagency Working Group on Aquaculture: Regulatory Task Force (2012-2016)
• Guide to shellfish permitting
• NOAA-Army Corps-EPA collaboration
Slides from Michael Rubino, NOAA
State and Regional Action
Initiatives
Washington
California
Connecticut
Alaska
Other Actions
Oregon
Maryland
Rhode Island
Hawaii
Mississippi
Gulf of Mexico
Slides from Michael Rubino, NOAA
• First shellfish initiative of the country
• Strong champion in Governor Gregoire and support
from PCSGA
• Stakeholder meetings with targeted reps from
industry, agencies, tribes, NGOs
• Common ground in clean water, permitting, OA
• Small core group writing, organizing, tracking
implementation
State shellfish initiatives as a tool for conflict
resolution: Washington
• A major source of conflict in WA is external:
shoreline homeowners
• Strong focus on educating local officials
• Likely first in line to deal with NIMBY issues
• Identify real issues vs. red herrings
• Feel confident in having enough information to
get to the “hard yes”
State shellfish initiatives as a tool for conflict
resolution: Washington
• Public process to bring together all shellfish stakeholder groups and all managing local, state, federal agencies
• Small coordinating task force, large steering committee of managers & sector representatives, individual sector work groups (industry, recreational, natural resources)
• Huge list of issues → small list of consensus priorities
State shellfish initiatives as a tool for conflict
resolution: Connecticut
• A major source of conflict is internal: among shellfish
stakeholders and with(in) managing agencies
• Inclusive process and priority setting has identified
common ground among stakeholders
• Public forums and work groups have created
important dialogue and opened communication
• Process has garnered political support for shellfish
and raised public awareness
State shellfish initiatives as a tool for conflict
resolution: Connecticut
• Strong champion in Governor Bryant: Executive Order 1350, Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Council
• Driven by historically low oyster harvest in recent years – primarily wild harvest
• Small executive committee, large topic committees put plan together in <6 months
• Plan contains ~75 action items necessary to “grow the oyster resource”
State shellfish initiatives as a tool for conflict
resolution: Mississippi
• Recent conflict with shoreline homeowners: first proposed oyster aquaculture lease area abandoned due to opposition from local residents
• Local opposition was focused on siting, not aquaculture itself
• Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Plan called on agencies to “Promote aquaculture, not just permit aquaculture”
• MS DMR is considering other locations, engaging in public outreach & education about oyster aquaculture
State shellfish initiatives as a tool for conflict
resolution: Mississippi
Observations & Common Themes
• Strong political support
• Motivating issue
• National inspiration →→ state prioritization and
implementation
• Importance of local officials in determining what
gets permitted in nearshore waters
• NIMBY arguments less likely to be based on the
false premise that shellfish aquaculture is bad for
the environment
• Finding common ground within shellfish stakeholder
groups helps shift focus to the protection &
promotion of all shellfish resources
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 39
Observations & Common Themes
Conclusions
• New GIS-based spatial tools have streamlined
permitting and facilitated aquaculture expansion
• The addition of environmental and shellfish models,
high resolution monitoring, and multiple methods for
collecting spatial data will greatly improve the siting
process
• The national and state spotlights on shellfish have
provided political and community support needed to
start tackling social challenges
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 40
Acknowledgements
• NOAA Fisheries Aquaculture Program
• Tracey Dalton and Emily Patrolia, University of
Rhode Island
• Joao Ferreira, New University of Lisbon
• Jon Grant, Dalhousie University
41
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 42
Fear of the unknown: Local resident perceptions of
aquaculture can change with increased familiarity: Ireland
2008 → 2015 27 →49% “happy to see a fish farm in their area”
7 →5% opposed to fish farm in their area