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State shellfish report flags troubled sites in Oakland Bay, Stretch Island and Hoodsport; county says investigators will follow up
Summary
Mason County environmental health staff reviewed the state Department of Health annual shellfish‑growing‑area report, outlining threatened stations in Oakland Bay, a high sample in Stretch Island and ongoing work in Hoodsport and Annis Bay; staff said they will investigate upland sources where possible.
Mason County environmental health staff briefed the Board of County Commissioners on the Washington State Department of Health’s annual shellfish‑growing‑area report and described local problem areas that remain under surveillance.
Staff said Oakland Bay shows mixed results: investigators were encouraged that a small near‑harbor area near Shelton can be opened for harvest after city wastewater upgrades, but other stations in the north part of Oakland Bay remain "threatened" and are closed after rainfall or during summer months. "This area is closed during heavy rainfall events or after heavy rainfall events," the environmental health manager said, adding that county sampling has not correlated high creek levels with marine exceedances and that wildlife contributions are suspected in some tidal flats.
Stretch Island showed a threatened station driven by a single high sample in March 2024 and the timing of the 30‑sample rolling window used by the state; older clean samples dropping off the rolling dataset can change station status even when current conditions are better, staff explained.
Hoodsport (Hood Canal) has a station close to failing (station 316), county staff said, and permits and on‑the‑ground work in the Hoodsport area are intended to mitigate the issue. Annis Bay, by contrast, saw an upgrade and staff credited years of work in that area.
Staff emphasized coordination with Department of Health sampling and the difficulty of attributing exceedances to specific upland sources in some tidal flats. Commissioners were briefed that the county will perform targeted upland surveys where evidence points to potential sources and will continue routine monitoring.
The briefing was informational; staff noted they will investigate Stretch Island and Hoodsport further and update the commission if permits or remediation work change closure status.
