Taylor Shellfish ceases harvest at Totten until issue can be resolved

Bill Taylor

Special to the Gateway

Earlier this month, The Peninsula Gateway published a news story (“Tide is turning for Taylor Shellfish”) and an editorial (“Close Eye needed for shellfish farms”) related to recent events involving Taylor Shellfish.

We appreciate that the Peninsula Gateway’s coverage of these issues was more balanced than other news outlets. However, there is new and additional information regarding the Totten Inlet boundary dispute that we would like to share with your readers.

Along this area of Totten Inlet, tidelands suitable for oyster culture were originally sold by the state of Washington in 1905. Taylor Shellfish has farmed the tidelands in question since 1972, after they purchased them from another shellfish farmer. These tidelands have been farmed for shellfish for at least 50 years.

The previous shellfish owner farmed the same area that Taylor Shellfish is farming today. All of Taylor’s farming activities have occurred within the boundaries of what was historically thought to be the tidelands originally sold by Washington state in 1905.

However, modern GPS technology and survey techniques have called into question the validity of these historical boundaries, which had been recognized by the previous owner, Taylor Shellfish, and the state for the past 50 years.

As soon as we learned of this issue, we began working on a survey to precisely locate the property lines in question.

We have also ceased any geoduck harvesting from the area in question until the issue is resolved.

Our preliminary survey results, reviewed last week, indicate encroachments are fairly common in the area.

In fact, it appears from the initial results that private landowners are encroaching on Taylor lands with seawalls and bulkheads built on our property.

We will continue to fully cooperate with the DNR to resolve any issues relating to the area in question.

I assure the public that any and all Taylor Shellfish planting and harvesting of shellfish on unleased state lands in Totten Inlet was inadvertent.

Bill Taylor owns Taylor Shellfish. He can be reached through Gallatin Public Affairs at 206-696-7971.