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Averting a battle on the beach
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January 8, 2003
Shellfish farming may be an economic Godsend for unemployed loggers and fishers, but its development must proceed wisely warns Leah Bendell-Young. The Simon Fraser University expert in applied ecology has started to unearth some telling findings in a $700,000, five-year, interdisciplinary study funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council. "If shellfish farming overtakes beaches," says Bendell-Young, "a variety of intertidal organisms whose existence depends on the foreshore and, ultimately, shellfish farmers could pay a hefty price."
Shellfish farmers drape vast swaths of clam-laden beaches with anti-predator netting to prevent birds, such as sea ducks, from consuming their lucrative product. Ironically the netting could be jeopardizing shellfish farming, potentially a $100 million a year industry, by disrupting nutrient cycles needed to support healthy clam populations on coastal beaches. "Initial studies have indicated that one consequence of anti-predator netting is to alter the foreshore community," says Bendell-Young who is studying the foreshore ecology of Baynes Sound, Desolation Sound and Barkely Sound. "Communities go from being one that is balanced with species that live on the surface of the sediment and below it to one that is dominated by sediment-dwelling bivalves (aquatic molluscs with a hinged double shell). This could impact the movement of nutrients, such as carbon, that are key for supporting flora and fauna, which nourish the sediment-dwelling bivalve."
Scientists collaborating with Bendell-Young on this study are examining the impact of anti-predator netting on migratory birds, which feed on clam-laden beaches. Bendell-Young stresses the results of this collaborative study will not only increase scientific knowledge of foreshore ecology but also help shellfish farmers make a sustainable living. Bendell-Young credits information workshops with bringing together various stakeholders to develop sustainable shellfish farming practices rather than turn netted beaches into battlegrounds. The Canadian Wildlife Service, the federal government and SFU’s centre for coastal studies sponsor the workshops. As part of the Speaking of Science lecture series in SFU’s continuing studies in science, Bendell-Young, a West Vancouver resident, will talk about her research. Her lecture Some Issues Facing the Expanding BC Shellfish Industry takes place Thursday, January 16, 7:00 p.m., room 7000, Harbour Centre. To guarantee a seat, please call 604.291.5000.
Contact
Leah Bendell-Young, 604.291.5621, bendell@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR, 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Shellfish farmers drape vast swaths of clam-laden beaches with anti-predator netting to prevent birds, such as sea ducks, from consuming their lucrative product. Ironically the netting could be jeopardizing shellfish farming, potentially a $100 million a year industry, by disrupting nutrient cycles needed to support healthy clam populations on coastal beaches. "Initial studies have indicated that one consequence of anti-predator netting is to alter the foreshore community," says Bendell-Young who is studying the foreshore ecology of Baynes Sound, Desolation Sound and Barkely Sound. "Communities go from being one that is balanced with species that live on the surface of the sediment and below it to one that is dominated by sediment-dwelling bivalves (aquatic molluscs with a hinged double shell). This could impact the movement of nutrients, such as carbon, that are key for supporting flora and fauna, which nourish the sediment-dwelling bivalve."
Scientists collaborating with Bendell-Young on this study are examining the impact of anti-predator netting on migratory birds, which feed on clam-laden beaches. Bendell-Young stresses the results of this collaborative study will not only increase scientific knowledge of foreshore ecology but also help shellfish farmers make a sustainable living. Bendell-Young credits information workshops with bringing together various stakeholders to develop sustainable shellfish farming practices rather than turn netted beaches into battlegrounds. The Canadian Wildlife Service, the federal government and SFU’s centre for coastal studies sponsor the workshops. As part of the Speaking of Science lecture series in SFU’s continuing studies in science, Bendell-Young, a West Vancouver resident, will talk about her research. Her lecture Some Issues Facing the Expanding BC Shellfish Industry takes place Thursday, January 16, 7:00 p.m., room 7000, Harbour Centre. To guarantee a seat, please call 604.291.5000.
Contact
Leah Bendell-Young, 604.291.5621, bendell@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR, 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca