FINAL BILL REPORT
SSB 6145
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
C 146 L 14
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Declaring the Ostrea lurida the official oyster of the state of Washington.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Governmental Operations (originally sponsored by Senators Hatfield, Roach, Chase, Sheldon, Fraser and McAuliffe).
Senate Committee on Governmental Operations
House Committee on Government Operations & Elections
Background: The state of Washington confers the official designation on various flora, fauna, performing arts, minerals, and tartan. The official fauna are designated as the orca, the official marine mammal; the Olympic marmot, the official endemic mammal; the willow goldfinch, the official bird; the steelhead trout, the official fish; and the common green darner dragonfly, the official insect.
The Ostrea lurida, commonly known as the Olympia oyster, is the only oyster native to Washington. Its natural habitat includes rocks in areas near the expanse of the low tide, and mudflats and gravel bars in estuaries and bays. Olympia oysters are flat oysters whose shells average 5–8 cm, or 2–3 inches, long. Olympia oysters play an important ecological role by regulating plankton blooms, decreasing the potential for Red Tide and other harmful algal blooms, and balancing nutrient input in the water.
Summary: The Ostrea lurida, or Olympia oyster, is declared the official oyster of the state of Washington.
Votes on Final Passage:
Senate | 47 | 1 | |
House | 94 | 4 | (House amended) |
Senate | 48 | 1 | (Senate concurred) |
Effective: | June 12, 2014 |