Community Engagement
WSG has been involved with shellfish research and aquaculture for more than four decades, helping waterfront property owners and communities maintain sanitary shorelines, educating consumers about shellfish safety, and participating in the Pacific Rim Shellfish Sanitation Association and the California Current Acidification Network (C-CAN). Outreach efforts include ongoing community conferences, seminars, and events, as well as a range of publications.
- WSG has partnered with local shellfish farmers to provide safe shellfish to award-winning Seattle restaurants. To get a taste of this work, the Farm to Table Aquaculture Experience Self-Guided Field Trip gives directions to three of these oyster bars, with some background on their history with WSG.
- WSG’s Marine Water Quality Specialist, Teri King provides technical assistance for tideland owners, including shoreline assessments and shellfish recruitment techniques. The Bivalves for Clean Water program teaches waterfront residents how to ensure the water that runs off their property and into marine waters is as clean as possible.
- Through WSG’s State of the Oyster study, King encourages Puget Sound waterfront property owners to collect oyster and clam samples from their beaches during summer months. WSG arranges for laboratory testing of the samples, which are analyzed for the presence of contamination. WSG then helps participants interpret their test results and, if needed, works with them to identify and remedy the sources of the contamination.
- WSG staff King and Assistant Director for Programs Kate Litle work with SoundToxins, a partnership of tribes, government entities, educational institutions, and citizens. This monitoring program provides early warning of harmful algal bloom events to minimize both human health risks and economic losses. Observations from SoundToxins volunteers are used by the Washington State Department of Health, NOAA, and researchers.
- WSG’s Marine Ecologist Jeff Adams and Water Quality Specialist Teri King frequently conduct special events to educate Puget Sound residents about shellfish and the importance of water quality: Kids’ Day at Oysterfest, tideflat tours at Hama Hama Oyster Rama, a touch-tank at the Geoduck Festival, and beach walks.
Research Projects
WSG supports research to address the concerns of the shellfish industry, regulators, policy makers, and consumers. Funded projects focus on issues specific to Pacific Northwest wild and farmed shellfish.

Learn about our State Shellfish Research Program
Other WSG research projects include:
- Developing a social-ecological clam garden site selection model
- Producing sterile shellfish
- Biotoxins uptake in rock scallops
- Factors affecting early growth and mortality of juvenile clams
- Alleviating regulatory impediments to native shellfish aquaculture
- Recovery of the native Olympia oyster in northern Puget Sound
- Guidelines for rock scallop aquaculture
- Development of tools to fight bivalve viruses
- OA effects on mussel attachment strength
- A novel approach to identify factors responsible for shellfish mortality events
- OA exposure effects on Pacific oysters
- Recruitment variability in oysters and clams
- Shellfish growing capacity in South Puget Sound
- Planning sustainable shellfish aquaculture
- West Coast shellfish aquaculture assessment
In the News
- Washington’s Shellfish Farms Are the Heart of Rural Economies
San Juan Islander, June 10, 2020 - Acidic oceans mess with oysters passing on ‘memories’
Futurity, March 16, 2020 - In rural Washington, coronavirus outbreak takes a big bite out of pulp and shellfish exports to China
The Seattle Times, March 7, 2020 - Way of life at stake
Chinook Observer, December 6, 2019 - Oyster farmers sacrifice pesticide, still losing ground to shrimp
TDN, November 25, 2019 - Olympia oysters making a comeback in Disco Bay
Peninsula Leader, October 25, 2019 - Underwater cameras capture the value of shellfish habitat
NOAA Fisheries, October 19, 2019 - Tides don’t always flush water out to sea, study shows
UW News, September 10, 2019 - Islander proposes shellfish operation in Tramp Harbor
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, March 20, 2019 - Sharing the science of shellfish
Washington State Department of Agriculture, March 14, 2019 - Return of a native: Olympia oysters are making a comeback
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound, February 20, 2019 - Rocky Bay algae bloom suspected in clam die-off
Key Peninsula News, August 1, 2019 - Relaxed Oysters?
KUOW, May 23, 2018 - Washington Sea Grant researchers seek paths forward in local conflicts over geoduck farming
National Sea Grant College Program, August 1, 2017 - Clam Hunger
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound, August 30, 2016 - Tunneling clams help a Salish Sea renaissance man make art
The Seattle Times, July 7, 2016 - Neighbors fight geoduck farm in Washington’s shellfish heartland
The Olympian, June 11, 2016
Online Library
WSG’s publications about shellfish cover a variety of topics, including marine water quality, safe consumption, and economic impacts. In addition to the publications listed here, you can find more at on our Publications webpages.
- Ecology and Economics of Shellfish Aquaculture in Washington State – Final Report
Read the study on the possible effects of evolving Washington shellfish aquaculture practices. - Gathering Safe Shellfish in Washington: Avoiding Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
Find out what you need to know to avoid paralytic shellfish poisoning from shellfish in Washington. - The Nutritional Value of Shellfish
Learn whether shellfish is good for a healthy diet. - Small Scale Clam Farming for Pleasure and Profit
Have fun learning how to grow native littleneck and Manila clams and gain awareness of environmental factors that affect these bivalves. - Small Scale Oyster Culture
Similar to clam farming, this publication provides information on growing oysters for Washington shoreline property owners or leaseholders. - Aquaculture Regulations and Research Goals: A West Coast Aquaculture Perspective
- Effects of Geoduck Aquaculture on the Environment: A Synthesis of Current Knowledge
- Reestablishing Olympia Oyster Populations in Puget Sound, Washington
- Heaven on the Half Shell: The Story of the Northwest’s Love Affair with the Oyster (available online only, print format)
- Geoduck Aquaculture Research Program: Report to the Washington State Legislature
- Geoducks—A Compendium
- Shellfish Aquaculture in Washington State
- Effects of Geoduck Aquaculture on the Environment: A Synthesis of Current Knowledge
Read the results of a 6-year state-funded research program into the implications of geoduck aquaculture on the health of the ecosystem and wild geoduck populations. - Reestablishing Olympia Oyster Populations in Puget Sound, Washington
Discover how to identify prime habitats for growing Olympia oysters, the state’s signature shellfish.