PORT ANGELES — Between 2005 and 2009, up to 80 percent of the oyster larvae in some Washington state hatcheries were killed by ocean acidification, according to a report by the Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification.
That statistic — as well as the science and dangers of a change in ocean chemistry and measures that can be taken locally — is among the research that is expected to be presented at a community forum Monday.
The free forum featuring speakers from the Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. Seventh St.
Clallam County Commissioner Mike Doherty will welcome the panel and attendees at the forum hosted by the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee.
As the nation’s leading supplier of farmed shellfish and with 42,000 jobs dependent on seafood, Washington state has much to lose from the effects of an acidifying ocean, organizers said.
Carbon dioxide
Seas are growing more acidic — the pH level is decreasing — because carbon dioxide emissions are being absorbed into the oceans, they said.
The new mixture forms carbonic acid, which alters ocean chemistry and reduces the chemical building blocks needed by many marine species, such as oysters, to grow shells.
That endangers not only the shellfish industry, but also other life in the sea because many shell-bearing creatures are food sources for larger, finned species, said Eric Swenson, communications and outreach director for the Global Ocean Health Program, a member of the panel.
There are ways to buffer locally the global effect of ocean acidification, such as planting seaweed and certain kinds of sea grasses in oyster beds, Swenson said.
Local runoff of chemicals and sewage “also worsens the situation,” he added.
Speakers scheduled
At the forum, Swenson will speak on “The Science of Ocean Acidification.”
Two other speakers are scheduled.
Betsy Peabody, founder of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, will describe “Local Impacts, Local Solutions,” and Brad Warren, director of the Global Ocean Health Program, will summarize the panel’s work and present “Recommendations, Partnerships and Actions.”
Peabody and Warren served as members of the Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. Swenson was an alternate member.
Ed Bowlby, a marine resources committee member who also coordinates research for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, said it is necessary to build a consensus to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
“When possible, we also need to act locally to mitigate, remediate or adapt to acidification,” Bowlby said.
“We can start by minimizing land-based contributions within the watershed. Stormwater runoff, for instance, can contribute to ocean acidification at the local scale.”
Sponsors of the forum include the Northwest Straits Commission, Puget Sound Partnership, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, National Fisheries Conservation Center and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.
Former Gov. Christine Gregoire appointed the 28-member panel on ocean acidification in February 2012.
To see its findings and 42 recommendations, which were presented in November in Seattle, visit http://tinyurl.com/oceanacidificationreport.