What We Do
Values and Vision
The Willapa-Grays Harbor Estuary Collaborative’s long-term mission is to increase the resilience of communities and ecosystems in the southwest coastal estuaries while building trust and common understandings.
We envision a sustainable future for the “Twin Harbors” in southwest Washington where:
- healthy coastal estuaries provide sustained ecosystem services under changing conditions;
- resilient coastal economies support traditional livelihoods while encouraging innovation; and
- vibrant coastal communities value heritage and diversity.
A thriving shellfish industry that sustains local jobs and access to nutritious foods and cultural heritage.
High water quality that protects human and ecosystem health.
Vibrant tribal communities with access to traditional foods and livelihoods.
Productive fisheries that support livelihoods and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Diverse estuarine habitats that conserve protected species and other wildlife.
Resilient social and ecological communities in the face of climate change and other stressors.
To achieve this vision, the Willapa-Grays Harbor Estuary Collaborative is committed to the following:
- learning from previous management efforts;
- consulting the best available science and sharing it with the public;
- pursuing environmental justice; and
- valuing the unique sense of place in the coastal estuaries.
EBM is place-based.
- A place is a location with meaning and significance. Humans are therefore part of all places and, by extension, EBM.
- Rather than focusing on a single species or human activity, EBM instead considers the many interactions between the social and ecological elements of place.
EBM is holistic.
- Understanding ecosystems requires consulting knowledge from the physical, natural, and social sciences.
- EBM also includes other ways of knowing, such as traditional and local knowledge.
EBM is collaborative.
- Collaboration brings together the perspectives of scientists, regulators, policymakers, industries, tribes, and local communities.
EBM is adaptive.
- Ecosystems are complex and dynamic, and our understanding of them is always evolving.
An Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture
By taking care of shellfish aquaculture, we can help take care of the coastal estuaries as a whole. The shellfish industry interacts with many protected and important species, while also providing habitat, maintaining water quality and sustaining the local economy. Placing shellfish aquaculture and its many connections at the heart of the southwest coast, the Willapa-Grays Harbor Estuary Collaborative is a long-term, coordinated effort to manage shellfish aquaculture and other activities in the bays through ecosystem-based management.
Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is an environmental management approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including humans, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosystem services in isolation.
Background and Origin
The Washington Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Study – a previous research and engagement program funded by the Washington State Legislature and coordinated by Washington Sea Grant – laid the foundation for applying ecosystem-based management to shellfish aquaculture.
As part of the study, a working group of shellfish farmers and resource managers was convened to promote dialogue and common understandings about interactions between shellfish farming, eelgrass, and burrowing shrimp. Research efforts compiled existing scientific information and developed field methods to assess conditions across different habitats and shellfish growing methods.
At the conclusion of the study in 2021, the study working group voted to form a long-term ecosystem-based management collaborative for the coastal estuaries as a whole, and the Willapa-Grays Harbor Estuary Collaborative was launched in April 2022.
Goals and Objectives
Long-term success will require strong relationships, sustained funding, and new tools to apply ecosystem-based principles to the issues facing Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. Therefore, over the next several years, the Willapa-Grays Harbor Estuary Collaborative will focus on:
- Tools for decision-making, data-sharing, outreach, and education;
- Increased communication and trust between local industries, tribes, and resource managers;
- Shared understandings of how the ecosystem functions, what is important, and what is at risk;
- Effective coordination with other management and development initiatives in the region; and
- Sustained funding to accomplish long-term goals.
These short-term objectives will enable the Collaborative to engage in scenario planning, recommend management strategies, and identify research and information needs related to:
- Optimizing shellfish production and ecological function;
- Managing invasive species;
- Adapting to climate change;
- Managing watersheds to sustain water quality;
- Supporting local education, capacity, and workforce development; and
- Fostering local industry resilience and innovation