As part of our ongoing work in aquaculture, Ocean Strategies conducted a survey to gauge public perceptions of shellfish farming in Washington state. With financial support from the Builder’s Initiative, this survey engaged 500 respondents across six of the largest shellfish producing counties in Washington — specifically Pacific and Grays Harbor counties on the Washington coast and Pierce, Thurston, Mason, and Kitsap counties around South Puget Sound.
The survey questions were designed understand public perceptions associated with shellfish farming as well as the core messages that resonate most strongly with survey respondents. In crafting the questions, Ocean Strategies utilized firsthand research as well as previously conducted surveys examining public perceptions of shellfish in Washington and at the national level by various groups. Responses were gathered both via phone and text to web, and the survey took approximately fifteen minutes for participants to complete. Based on our research and conversations, this was the first survey conducted on shellfish aquaculture in Washington since 2015 – providing up-to-date insights and information regarding public perceptions around shellfish farming.
Survey Results
Overall, the survey provided critical insights as well as positive results for shellfish farmers in these counties. Of particular importance is that 81% of participants support shellfish farming in Washington. And this number only went up after participants had more information about the role of farmers and their farms in the state.
In addition to their general support for shellfish farming, participants were asked to rank the importance of various shellfish benefits on a scale from very important to not important at all. Of the eleven benefits presented in this part of the survey, 90% of respondents rated five benefits as either very or somewhat important.
These benefits were:
- Creation of jobs;
- Contributions to the economy;
- Creation of habitat for marine life;
- Water quality improvements; and
- Supply of locally produced seafood.
9 out of every 10 people think these 5 shellfish benefits are important – again highlighting the overall support for shellfish farming and its associated impacts.
Finally, our survey asked participants to rank statements and messages on a scale of “very convincing” to “not at all convincing.”
80% of respondents ranked four of the seven messages as very or somewhat convincing. These messages focused on:
- Job creation and economic contributions of shellfish farmers in Washington;
- Water quality benefits of shellfish farming;
- Washington’s historic and current role as the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the United States; and
- Washington shellfish farmers commitment to supporting and improving the marine
environment.
It is also worth noting that shellfish farmers’ roles in providing a local, sustainable, climate-friendly food source in oysters, mussels and clams resonated as a strong message for many Washingtonians.
Drawing Comparisons
Following the completion of the survey, Ocean Strategies reviewed these survey results with the results and insights gathered from other previously conducted surveys with a specific focus on Washington data.
Economic contributions of shellfish farming to Washington’s economy consistently ranked as the most important benefit and strongest message — regardless of the year a survey was conducted or how the question was asked. This reflects the importance of job creation and revenue contributions that shellfish farming provides to Washington’s economy.
Separately, respondents ranked the environmental benefits of shellfish aquaculture higher in Ocean Strategies’ survey when compared to previous surveys conducted in Washington.Specifically, the environmental benefits of shellfish farming — improved water quality and better marine habitat — scored in the top three of the Ocean Strategies survey, while in previous surveys, environmental benefits ranked fifth. This shift highlights increasing interest in and awareness of environmental benefits to Washington’s marine environment that can result from shellfish farming and can likely be attributed to ongoing education and awareness of these benefits as highlighted by farmers and key stakeholders as well as local instances where shellfish have improved water quality.
To highlight the key information and data in this survey, Ocean Strategies has developed a one-pager that can be referenced and shared with those who would like to learn more about the perceptions of shellfish farming. Feel free to share this document with friends, family, local elected officials and others who may be interested in the findings.
It is clear from this survey that Washingtonians living in shellfish producing counties support shellfish farming and recognize the many benefits of this thriving industry from coastal Washington to Puget Sound.
Note: A version of this article appeared in Longlines.
