Addressing the impacts of burrowing shrimp on bottom culture shellfish farming through integrated pest management research.

New shrimp-control research help for shellfish farms

Beginning July 27, 2025, Washington law creates an agriculture department research program to control burrowing shrimp harming bottom-culture shellfish farms. The program and its oversight board depend on money appropriated for this purpose; the law specifies no funding amount. The program seeks research proposals across fields, identifies controlled research opportunities, and explores funding for future equipment. It also helps shellfish growers with permits for identified control methods. Research spending supports shrimp control only in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor and cannot fund methods previously shown ineffective. The agriculture director establishes the board with help from coastal lawmakers and a regional oyster growers' association. The board oversees research, reviews proposals, guides grants, and meets at least quarterly. It includes five regional shellfish growers, two regional processors, and representatives from Agriculture, Ecology, Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, Commerce, and the State Conservation Commission. It also includes the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, the oyster association's executive director, and a nonprofit providing shellfish environmental and health information. A regional ecosystem-management collaborative representative and a board-appointed facilitator serve as ex officio members. Members must have a stake in sustaining shellfish farming, understand shrimp impacts, and seek control tools, especially for bottom-culture farms. The board seeks consensus, but a simple majority can approve proposals when consensus fails. Members are eligible for reimbursement of subsistence, lodging, and travel expenses. The program and board expire July 1, 2035.