Senators: Ocean Acidification Monitoring Critical to Nation’s $2.8B Shellfish Industry
In letter, Cantwell leads 20 Senators in urging ‘robust’ investment in NOAA ocean acidification programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) led 20 Senators in a bipartisan letter urging “robust funding” for ocean acidification monitoring systems to protect the nation’s $2.8 billion shellfish industry.
In the letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee, Cantwell called for continued support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Integrated Ocean Acidification Program and the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Data from IOOS sensors and buoys along the nation’s coasts have helped shellfish hatcheries determine when to shield their stocks from corrosive sea water.
“Ocean acidification poses a serious threat to coastal economies across the United States,” the letter said. “We believe that worsening ocean acidification makes it incumbent on us to protect efforts that are helping maintain shellfish industries across the nation. We also support targeted investments in monitoring and research to increase our ocean acidification monitoring network, and provide critical data to communities that have been identified as high risk.”
Joining the letter were Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
In 2010, Cantwell secured funding to acquire and deploy ocean acidification sensors near major shellfish hatcheries in Washington state. Today, these sensors, some of which are attached to buoys from the IOOS program, allow shellfish growers to monitor ocean acidity in real-time and close off their shellfish tanks when ocean acidity is too high. Recent studies have shown a connection between ocean acidification and high mortality rates among young oysters and other shellfish like clams, geoduck and mussels.
In the Pacific Northwest, young oyster productivity rose from 20 percent of historical levels to 70 percent after ocean acidification sensors were deployed near major hatcheries. That helped support 3,200 family wage jobs in Washington state’s coastal economies alone.
Shellfish growers contribute $110 million annually to Washington state’s economy. Shellfish farming is the largest employer in Pacific County and is the second largest employer in Mason County.
The letter references a recent study in Nature Climate Change that identifies communities at significant risk for sustained economic losses resulting from ocean acidification’s impact on shellfish fisheries. Communities at the highest risk were found in these 15 states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, Maine, Florida, North Carolina, California, Louisiana, Maryland, and Texas. A July 2014 report published in Progress in Oceanography identified seafood jobs across Alaska that could be impacted by ocean acidification, such as king crab and salmon.
The letter’s full text is below.
The Honorable Richard C. Shelby
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Barbara A. Mikulski, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Mikulski:
We are writing to request your continued support for ocean acidification monitoring programs which are critical to protecting our nation’s $2.8 billion dollar shellfish industry. We urge you to support robust funding for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) “competitive funding for the national network of regional systems” and NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Acidification Program.
The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act (FOARAM) mandates that NOAA has an active monitoring program to evaluate the impact of ocean acidification. Characterizing the extent of acidification in our oceans is vital to determining its threat to marine life, particularly shellfish. With the current rate of ocean acidification higher than at any time in at least the last 300 million years, shellfish farmers are increasingly dependent on real-time ocean acidification monitoring which allows them to determine when to shield their stocks from corrosive sea water. Before having the data provided from IOOS sensors and buoys, shellfish growers had no way to correlate shellfish productivity with ocean acidification and could not adapt their aquaculture practices to minimize ocean acidification impacts. The real time data these instruments provide has made a huge difference in the industry. After ocean acidification sensors were deployed near major hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest, young oyster productivity rose from 20 percent of historical levels to 70 percent, helping support 3,200 family wage jobs in Washington state’s coastal economies alone.
In addition to economic value, shellfish play a crucial role in water quality and ecosystem health in estuaries across the United States. Oysters create reefs which filter water, protect coastal ecosystems from storm surges, and provide habitat for fish and other commercially valuable and economically important species. In the Gulf of Mexico, over 170 species of fish and invertebrates are found to live in oyster reefs. However, ocean acidification threatens these valuable societal benefits and services.
A recent peer reviewed study by Julia Ekstrom et al identified fishing communities at significant risk for sustained economic losses resulting from ocean acidification’s impact on shellfish fisheries. The following states contain communities that are at the highest risk: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, Maine, Florida, North Carolina, California, Louisiana, Maryland, and Texas. Another report published in July of 2014 in the peer reviewed journal Progress in Oceanography by NOAA scientist Jeremy Mathis et al, identified seafood jobs across Alaska that could be impacted by ocean acidification as well.
Ocean acidification poses a serious threat to coastal economies across the United States. We believe that worsening ocean acidification makes it incumbent on us to protect efforts that are helping maintain shellfish industries across the nation. We also support targeted investments in monitoring and research to increase our ocean acidification monitoring network, and provide critical data to communities that have been identified as high risk. We appreciate your continued support of NOAA’s valuable ocean acidification and ocean monitoring programs.
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