Shipping, eelgrass collide Shipping, eelgrass collide Orca whales eat salmon which eat herring. Herring spawn in eelgrass beds. Developers have their plans for a bulk shipping dock and terminal at Cherry Point north of Bellingham, which means construction and shipping land in the middle of eelgrass beds that are prime spawning areas for half of Puget Sound's herring. Whatcom County showed its determination to jump into the shipping big leagues by approving the shoreline development permit this March.
Ecology believes the issues can be resolved.
In a project of this magnitude, we're dealing with experienced developers. Environmental watchdog groups are not as sanguine as Ecology. The area already has one approved dock facility and all manner of state and local provisions for industrial development exemptions from the Growth Management Act. Cherry Point may be the ecosystem's last stand in the Northwest Straits. All rights reserved.