A Review of the Hydraulic Escalator Shellfish Harvester and Its Known Effects in Relation to the Soft-Shell Clam, 'Mya arenaria',

摘要

The most efficient means of commercially harvesting the soft-shell clam is with a hydraulic escalator shellfish harvester. But local experience with the harvester in the many tidelands of Puget Sound has been limited and little information has been available about the long-term effects of the harvester on the environment. Many questions concerning the advisability of mechanical harvesting operations in Washington have been raised by a number of Puget Sound businesses,by concerned citizens,and by state resource management and regulatory agencies. In response to these questions,the Washington Sea Grant program undertook a survey,which is reported in this publication,to find out and make available existing information on the known long-term effects of mechanical harvesting on the environment. This report is an attempt to provide decision makers with available information as a basis for their decisions concerning applications for commercial clam-harvesting permits.