Huge Geoduck/shellfish cultivation expansion by DFO

DFO has released its draft Geoduck Management Plan and is accepting comments March 6 to April 19. It's available (24 pages) at 

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/consultation/aquaculture/geoimf-cgipan/geoi...

Until now, only the Strait of Georgia was open for Geoduck "cultivation". The proposal is to open the entire coastline, with few small exceptions. You can see the areas around Lasqueti that are open, restricted or (sometimes) closed at

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/consultation/aquaculture/geoimf-cgipan/AS16...

To get more information, from the Protect Our Shoreline group in Puget Sound, who have been dealing with geoduck growing for 15 years, and warning of its negative impacts, go to

http://protectourshorelinenews.blogspot.ca/2014/03/canadas-department-of...

One of the impacts of geoduck "farming" that I learned about at our recent Trust Council meeting is the use of 8 miles of toxic PVC pipe per acre of geoducks "planted". PVC is toxic (carcenogenic) in its manufacture, in its off-gassing through its life, and as it photo-degrades and crumbles and disintegrates into ever-smaller bits, adding significantly to the plastic contamination of the ocean and its shores.

Comments on the draft (do we need the "r"?) plan can be sent to

Shellfish [dot] Aquaculture [at] dfo-mpo [dot] gc [dot] ca

To see images of the best and the worst of Puget Sound, go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzigC1ReNRE