The Port Madison farm uses a Community Supported Aquaculture (CSA) model that allows participants to buy a membership to the farm and receive deliveries of shellfish throughout the season. All proceeds from shellfish sales support local water quality improvement projects and community engagement programs. As a member you are also invited to volunteer with harvesting. This means you will get to visit the farm, help us collect and bag shellfish and partake in the fun of eating locally! Becoming a member of the community shellfish farm means more than receiving shellfish; it means having the opportunity to connect with a local food source and contribute to critical pollution control efforts in your community.
The purpose of a community shellfish farm is to connect people to their marine environment at a gut level.
We operate a community shellfish farm in Puget Sound to restore and maintain healthy shellfish growing areas, spur cleanup efforts and maintain community access to shellfish resources.
What does it mean to become a CSA member?
A Reinvention Story
Drayton Harbor Community Oyster Farm
In 2014, PSRF’s first community oyster farm officially left the nest. The Drayton Harbor farm transitioned to a for-profit business called Drayton Harbor Oyster Company LLC.
Enticing a commercial venture back to Drayton Harbor was part of the original vision dating back to 1999 when Geoff Menzies and PSRF first conceived of launching a community oyster farm to spur water quality improvements and invest in the health of the bay. Our goal – then and now – was to restore commercial, recreational and tribal harvest. Lo these many years later, a commercial venture has taken the plunge and we are cheering them on. The new farm is owned and operated by Steve and Mark Seymour, a family with a 25-year history of oyster farming in Drayton Harbor.
Moving forward, PSRF will continue to partner with the new farm on all manner of Drayton Harbor projects, including Olympia oyster restoration. CSA members cultivated over many a year will be lovingly tended as the farm expands local and overseas sales.
The farm will continue to draw attention to the need for clean water and press forward with pollution control efforts in order to preserve the long oyster farming history of the bay. There are still a significant number of shellfish acres needing recovery, which will require concerted and sustained action in the years ahead. We are hopeful that the taste of “Drayton Golds” will help propel these efforts forward.
Check out Drayton Harbor Oyster Company’s Facebook Page. Also, this read this fantastic article from Encyclopedia of Puget Sound about the little shellfish farm that could.
A Community Shellfish Farm Leads to Better Water Quality
Henderson Inlet Community Shellfish Farm
Puget Sound Restoration Fund has been invested in the Henderson Inlet Community Shellfish Farm since 2002, along with our partners, Washington State University, Elliott’s Oyster House and Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association. Henderson Inlet, a charming estuary in southern Puget Sound, not far from Olympia had been closed to shellfish harvesting for years due to water quality issues. At the outset of our collaboration, PSRF wanted to join hands with others in the watershed to restore clean water in a historic shellfish growing area – and good things have happened as a result of this undertaking. In the face of increased development, and contrary to predicted trends, water quality has improved.
On January 27, 2010, the Washington Department of Health upgraded 240 acres of the Henderson Inlet commercial growing area to Approved. The Henderson Inlet Community Shellfish Farm is now located on approved ground. This represents a huge community triumph. Hats off to residents, businesses and local governments within the Henderson Inlet watershed for tackling pollution sources and improving water quality for all.
On June 13, the Washington Department of Health upgraded 100 acres of shellfish harvesting area in Henderson Inlet, based on improved marine water quality. A lot of great work by their Thurston County partners and area residents made this possible. For more information about this upgrade and to view their news release follow this link:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Shellfish/HotTopics.aspx
Shellfish Sales Proceeds Put into Action
The funds generated from shellfish sales go towards local water quality improvement projects and community outreach efforts. Here are some examples of our ongoing efforts:
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Conduct farm tours each year to educate students, parents, and teachers in shellfish aquaculture and water quality.
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Harvest over hundreds of dozens of oysters for public events, including Oyster New Year at Elliott’s Oyster House.
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Install shellfish gardens on private tidelands to invest local property owners in the value of clean water.
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Involve volunteers in thinning and harvesting oysters, preparing shellfish garden kits, organizing aquaculture gear and serving community-grown shellfish at local events.
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Sponsor annual oyster giveaways for local residents who take action to manage their septic systems (residents receive one dozen oysters with proof of inspection).
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Increase education and awareness about the effects of pet waste on water quality.
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Provide a free mobile pump-out service to boaters in Port Madison Bay and help boaters understand how bacterial pollution from sewage can affect water quality and marine resources.
Support PSRF's Community Shellfish Farms
PSRF has conducted 10 successful harvest seasons at the Port Madison Community Shellfish Farm. The Bloedel Reserve and Suquamish Tribe continue to be invaluable partners by providing tidelands for the farm. Please consider supporting PSRF's Community Shellfish Farm Program.
CONTACT
Josh Bouma, Community Shellfish Farms Program Leader | [email protected]