Projects > Economic Study

In 2008 PSRF began collaborating on a triple bottom line assessment of shellfish production and restoration in Puget Sound as part of a broad based, multidisciplinary team that includes Pacific Shellfish Institute, Northern Economics, Taylor Resources, Herrrera Environmental Consultants and Little Skookum Shellfish Growers. As a restoration practitioner, PSRF is particularly interested in the costs and benefits of shellfish restoration – the restoration of native species as well as the restoration of water quality in areas that support harvest.

According to a study recently undertaken by The Nature Conservancy, “Shellfish reefs and beds are one of the most globally impacted of all ecosystems” and a “comprehensive program of conserving and restoring shellfish ecosystems is a critical step in saving our coastal bays and estuaries and the many forms of life that depend on them. (“Shellfish At Risk: A Global Study”)

There is ample data documenting the vital role that shellfish play in the ecosystem globally but local and specific information relating to Puget Sound needs to be comprehensively evaluated and the information gaps identified. Bottom line: the human population here in Puget Sound is growing and there is a direct relationship between development along our shores and the loss of shellfish growing areas. If shellfish are providing essential ecosystem services in Puget Sound than we need to assess these services accurately and make decisions that support their preservation in the environment – OR be ready to pay the replacement costs in the form of infrastructure improvements.

The goal of the economic study is to monetize these “services” so that they can be evaluated alongside the costs and benefits of other strategies designed to mitigate nutrient pollution.