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Harbor board approves Humboldt Bay Oyster Company permit and adopts IS/MND with conditions
Summary
The board voted unanimously to adopt an initial study-mitigated negative declaration and approve a harbor permit allowing Humboldt Bay Oyster Company to continue operations and add expansion areas (total expansion polygons ~13.9 acres; culture footprint about 3 acres) with eelgrass avoidance and other BMPs.
The Harbor District board approved staffrecommendations to adopt the initial study/mitigated negative declaration (IS/MND), mitigation monitoring and reporting program, and Harbor District permit 2023-04 for Humboldt Bay Oyster Company.
Planner Vanessa summarized the application: current operations include multiple culture techniques and the proposal would add expansion polygons totaling approximately 13.9 acres while keeping the actual culture footprint within those areas to roughly 3 acres. Staff reported one substantive comment came from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and staff incorporated revisions such as a maximum expanded-culture acreage, a minimum 5-foot long-line spacing, avoidance of mapped eelgrass habitat (as defined by the California Eelgrass Management Program), and vessel-transit buffers.
Todd Van Herb, the applicant, said the permit work updates longstanding operations and thanked staff and commissioners for advancing the permit process. Public commenters, including representatives of Humboldt Waterkeeper, offered both questions and statements of support and sought clarification on monitoring and species protections during the course of operations.
The board approved the resolution and permit by roll-call vote: Commissioner Norton, Commissioner Newman, Commissioner Dale and President Coleman voted yes; Commissioner Benson was absent. Staff said all supporting documents, the revised IS/MND and the draft permit conditions are available on the district website and that the mitigation monitoring and reporting program will be implemented if the permit takes effect.
The approval includes conditions limiting placement of cultivation gear in eelgrass habitat and committing to BMPs for channel buffers, herring and waterfowl protection.
