Shipping Channel Depths Need to Returned to 36'

By Susan Penn

The channel deepening done in 1999 - 2000 was done in anticipation of shipping which has not occurred. The increased depth, and consequent increased water flow, is damaging the bay.

The construction of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad and Highway 101 caused most of the marshlands east of the bay to be drained and diked by the late 1920's. Today, the Bay is reduced in size by one-third by diking, draining, and filling, with its former wetlands now the location of such places as Arcata Redwood Company and the Bayshore Mall.

The Army Corps has deepened the channels of Humboldt Bay several times over the years to allow larger and larger ships into the Bay, causing several areas of the Bay to become severely degraded and "species poor." This dredging was primarily carried out to accommodate the forest products industry, which relied more and more on the importation of foreign logs, and the export of pulp.

For many years the shipping channels were maintained at 36 feet which allowed ships servicing the pulp and timber industries safe access.

In 1999 - 2000 the main channels were deepened from 36 feet to 48 feet at a taxpayer cost of $15 million. This was done in anticipation of the arrival of larger ships, and the desire to fill ships already using our docks to load more heavily. But the ships have not come, our last pulp mill just announced it was closing permanently, and with the global slump in shipping, there is no reason to develop facilities for, or maintain channels for, large container ships.

Before the deepening in 1999, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) expressed concern that this dredging could have serious implications on the Bay's flushing patterns, allowing more waves into the Bay and causing erosion problems. This has proven true as the increased volume of water entering the mouth is eroding the beach at "Stinky Beach" and the impacts from the waves continue further into the bay, with the shoreline receding in some places.

The shipping needs for our community can be met with 36' channels, and commercial and recreational fishermen, sailors and cruisers do not require 48'. We need to reduce the dredging, and allow the bay to heal.

The deeper channel dredging is also creating erosion further up the bay as the mud slides into the trough, removing many inches of fertile shallows habitat. The shallows of the bay are valuable habitat for eel grass, and a nursery for many small fish.

Eelgrass is an integral part of the food web, and Humboldt Bay supports one of the three largest stands within the Pacific Northwest region. This and other habitat in the Bay make it an important spawning and nursery ground for numerous fish and other aquatic species, hosting albacore tuna, green and white sturgeon, Pacific herring, lingcod, Dungeness crab, rock crab, and many species of rockfish, salmon, oysters, and clams.

This abundance makes Humboldt Bay a critical link for migrating and wintering birds, and it annually supports millions of waterbirds, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds.

It also makes it popular with sport and commercial fishermen and birders from around the world. And anyone who admires the pelicans in flight should realize that the birds are here only because the bay provides them with food!

As the second largest estuary in the state, it is also one of the most pristine and diverse on the West Coast. Of California's twelve shellfish reserves set aside for public clamming and oystering, seven are located within Humboldt Bay.

It is imperative at this time that we preserve this habitat. It's economic value would be hard to determine, but its value to all who live here, and all the plants and animals that depend on it is invaluable.