Chefs fret, Taylor Shellfish stands by oyster spraying

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jun 28, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Chefs fret, Taylor Shellfish stands by oyster spraying</h1>
                <h2><p>Seattle chef Renee Erickson called her Hood Canal oyster suppliers as soon as she heard about oyster farmers spraying their beds with a neurotoxin. Turned out it was only happening in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, reports The Seattle Times in a nice feature on the issue. Bullet dodged for</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://www.cascadepbs.org/sites/default/files/images/article/gallery/451px-Olympia_oyster2.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="The" loading="lazy" width="225" height="300"></figure><p>Seattle chef Renee Erickson called her Hood Canal oyster suppliers as soon as she heard about oyster farmers spraying their beds with a neurotoxin. Turned out it was only happening in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/plan-to-put-neurotoxin-on-oyster-beds-distresses-restaurants/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">reports <em>The Seattle Times</em></a> in a nice feature on the issue. Bullet dodged for The Walrus and The Carpenter chef/owner.</p><p>But Taylor Shellfish, the biggest and one of the most respected shellfish farmers in the country, is taking flak for its decision to spray away a species of burrowing shrimp that threatens its oysters and livelihood. Owner Bill Taylor insists the toxin is safe, but, says <em>The Times</em>, "the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have sounded the alarm about unknown consequences."</p>
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Seattle chef Renee Erickson called her Hood Canal oyster suppliers as soon as she heard about oyster farmers spraying their beds with a neurotoxin. Turned out it was only happening in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, reports The Seattle Times in a nice feature on the issue. Bullet dodged for The Walrus and The Carpenter chef/owner.

But Taylor Shellfish, the biggest and one of the most respected shellfish farmers in the country, is taking flak for its decision to spray away a species of burrowing shrimp that threatens its oysters and livelihood. Owner Bill Taylor insists the toxin is safe, but, says The Times, "the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have sounded the alarm about unknown consequences."

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By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,