Shellfish Interagency Permitting Team

The Shellfish Interagency Permitting (SIP) team is part of the Washington Shellfish Initiative. The intergovernmental team was convened in December 2011 and tasked with improving the timeliness of permit decisions while ensuring regulatory compliance. The team continues to meet quarterly and with ad hoc permit work groups as needed.

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Phase 1 results

Shellfish Interagency Permitting Team Phase I Report, May 2016

Ten recommendations to improve shellfish permitting:

Establish a state shellfish aquaculture coordinator.
Create a centralized mapping and data tracking portal.
Develop consistent, practicable, and effective best management practices.
Address overall permit timeliness.
Continue outreach to growers.
Provide technical assistance to local governments.
Assess permit compliance.
Reduce redundancies and improve interagency coordination.
Devote funding to support shellfish aquaculture permitting.
Designate a lead state agency to manage shellfish aquaculture.

Products to improve the permit application process

Permit applicants are encouraged to use the Joint Aquatic Resource Permit Application (JARPA) which serves as a one-stop application for most federal, state, and local permits and authorizations. When navigating the permitting process, applicants are encouraged to use the following products:

Primary Requirements to Grow and Harvest Shellfish in Washington State (September 2014)
Existing Permitting Processes flowchart (September 2014)
Supplemental Narrative for Existing Permitting Processes flowchart (September 2014)
JARPA Instruction B (June 2012)
Aquaculture Supplemental Drawing Checklist (September 2014)

The SIP team also offers joint state agency-tribal government consultation to permit applicants. A joint consultation can reduce permitting costs and increase consistency while avoiding redundancy in the process.

Contact information

SIP Team co-chairs:

Laura Hoberecht
NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Region Aquaculture Coordinator
laura.hoberecht@noaa.gov
206-526-4453

Laura Butler
Washington State Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture Coordinator & Policy Advisor to the Director
lbutler@agr.wa.gov
360-902-1842

Ecology contact:

Perry Lund
SEA Program, SWRO Section Manager
perry.lund@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7260