Ocean Career: Ocean Associates Inc. Shellfish Research Scientist

Puget Sound Nearshore Habitat Conservation Calculator Assistance

OAI is a Virginia corporation established in 2003 that provides consulting and technical services to the US government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the private sector. We specialize in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional and technical services, and stakeholder engagement, supporting government contracts.

There has been considerable research regarding the ecosystem effects of shellfish farming in temperate waters of the Atlantic and Pacific coast in recent years. This research includes interactions with submerged aquatic vegetation, fish and invertebrates and effects on water quality. In Washington state, there are over 250 shellfish farms across over 700 sites, most of which are located in Puget Sound.

A priority in Puget Sound is the conservation of nearshore habitat, including wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation, estuaries, and tidal zones that make up some of the most valuable habitat for the region's salmon and steelhead and overlap in some places with shellfish farming. Unfortunately, much of nearshore habitat in Puget Sound is lost or degraded, with more than 90 percent of tidal wetlands lost to development.

That leaves salmon without essential nursery habitat they need to feed and grow strong to boost their later survival in the open ocean. This is especially concerning for Puget Sound Chinook salmon, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

To help address this situation, NOAA Fisheries recently developed the Puget Sound Nearshore Habitat Conservation Calculator (Nearshore Calculator). The calculator can be used to determine how much restoration is needed to offset the impacts of nearshore development. The calculator determines changes in habitat value in a common currency that represents habitat impacts as debits, and habitat improvements as credits. Developers can then offset debits with an equivalent number of credits, avoiding further net loss of nearshore habitat.

Credits may come from improvements undertaken as part of the same project or from improvements in other areas in the Puget Sound region.

NOAA Fisheries is in need of assistance to help consider additions to the Nearshore Calculator to account for ecosystem effects of shellfish aquaculture in Puget Sound, based on best available science.

The employee will coordinate with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and West Coast Region of Fisheries (Central Puget Sound Branch & Oregon/Washington Aquaculture Coordinator) to assist with the following key tasks:

• Literature Review/Calculator learning:
  Compile and conduct an assessment of relevant literature to inform ecosystem effects of shellfish aquaculture. Assess relevance to shellfish aquaculture in the US portions of the Salish Sea including all five marine basins delineated as service areas for use with the Nearshore Calculator. Synthesize and communicate findings to scientific, management and industry audiences. Invest in in-depth learning of the nearshore calculator and Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act, including how the calculator works, the underlying literature, data inputs, analytical approach and how it is applied to aquaculture projects.
  
  Deliverables are:
• Finalized list of literature and folders with PDF copies of each study.
• Summary files with annotations of key results and conclusions from each source.
• Tables, figures, presentation materials for presenting results to different audiences.
• Contribute to NWFSC teams that are working on related projects by participating in meetings, completing assignments, and contributing to products.

• Gain Regional Expertise:
  When possible, conduct site visits to regional shellfish farms to gain an understanding of aquaculture practices. Take photos of gear and growing practices at each site, pending permission of the grower. When possible, join research teams in the field to promote awareness of ongoing research applications. Deliverables are:
• Library of photos taken at each site visit that document different types of shellfish growing practices and ongoing research.
• List of benefits/impacts of shellfish aquaculture are generally included in the indicator effect pathway outline in Ehinger et al., 2023. Amend recommended indicator effect pathway description(s), as applicable.
• Recommend any relevant indicator effect pathways that may not be included, and how they could be added following the format and methodology in Ehingher et al. 2023.
• Prototype Development:
  For aquaculture techniques for which the most relevant indicator effect pathways are considered in the Nearshore Calculator, evaluate if current tabs allow for appropriate quantification of impacts. For those applications, develop demonstration examples of how shellfish aquaculture activities that require federal permitting may be addressed by the Nearshore Calculator. Demonstration growing methods shall include shellfish…