Bill Dewey, Director of Public Policy and Communications for Taylor Shellfish Farms![\"Bill](\"http:\/\/globaloceanhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Bill-Dewey-on-farm.jpg\")
in Washington, is no stranger to tackling ocean acidification (OA). Since oyster larvae production first plummeted in the mid-2000\u2019s, he has been working to rally support for shellfish growers and raise awareness of the threat of OA. \u201cThe nature of OA,\u201d says Dewey, \u201crequires a collaborative response. But I don\u2019t think our response would have been nearly as collaborative if it hadn\u2019t been for Brad Warren and Eric Swenson [of Global Ocean Health] and all their efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
One such collaborative effort helped spawn Washington\u2019s Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. In 2012, around the time Washington Sea Grant held its Symposium on Ocean Acidification, Dewey was working to get a Washington Shellfish Initiative launched. Brad and Terry Williams, of the Tulalip Tribe, came to him and asked, \u201cWhat do you think it would take to get OA parceled into the shellfish initiative?\u201d Dewey recalls, \u201cI don\u2019t know why it hadn\u2019t dawned on me sooner. We plugged it in, and now it\u2019s one of the most recognized activities of the initiative.\u201d Former Governor Gregoire launched the initiative and called for the panel in one swoop. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for Brad\u2019s idea and drive,\u201d says Dewey, \u201cthe Blue Ribbon Panel would not have happened. The panel pulled stakeholders together in a very unique way and made a huge difference. I really credit Global Ocean Health (GOH) for pulling that together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Serving on the panel with Brad, Dewey appreciated how Brad \u201cengages with people in a way that\u2019s factual and non-threatening,\u201d a core element of GOH\u2019s strategy. This approach, says Dewey, \u201cchallenged people and made them more receptive, and as a result the Blue Ribbon Panel put forward stronger recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Cantwell](\"http:\/\/globaloceanhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Cantwell-oyster-photo.jpg\")
<\/a>Cantwell with the “aha” photo.<\/p><\/div>\n
During the panel process, the shellfish industry realized they needed an \u201caha\u201d photo, to tell the story of OA\u2019s impacts on their products. GOH secured funding for Taylor Shellfish to spend time on Oregon State University\u2019s scanning electron microscope (SEM) to document how more acidic conditions in the hatchery affected their oyster larvae. \u201cIt was a tremendous eye opener for us,\u201d says Dewey, \u201cto see a healthy larva next to a mangled larva. We thought they were just dissolving, but in fact they were not building their shells. That\u2019s been hugely insightful for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The SEM photos enabled by GOH\u2019s funding have rippled throughout the community. Dewey speculates they may have stimulated George Waldbusser of Oregon State University to look further into what was happening in those first 48 hours of life\u2013an investigation that drew fascinating conclusions showing how oysters manage their energy during this critical early period. At a press conference with Governor Gregoire Dewey used the photo in a presentation. Afterwards, the governor approached him and said, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen that photo before. Tell me more about it\u2013can I use it?\u201d During the question and answer session afterwards, says Dewey, \u201cThe governor used the photo and went off on it.\u201d Bill Dewey of Taylor Shellfish Tells How GOH Helped Lead a Collaborative Response to OA Bill Dewey, Director of Public Policy and Communications for Taylor Shellfish Farms in Washington, is no stranger to tackling ocean acidification (OA). Since oyster larvae … Continue reading
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