December 21, 2018 — There’s a growing threat driving the county’s economy toward utter catastrophe.
The county’s largest base of employment is on the verge of collapse, putting at risk thousands of family-wage jobs. Family-owned businesses are facing the prospect of absolute ruin, as an entire industry that’s existed for more than a century is pushed to the brink of extinction.
If this threat remains unchecked, the impact across the county’s economy — and the thousands of families who live and work here — will be devastating.
No, I’m not talking about King County.
If I were, you can bet that state officials would be doing all they could to address the threat, treat it like the dire emergency that it is, and ensure the scenario outlined above doesn’t come to pass.
But because I’m talking about rural Pacific County in remote southwest Washington, state officials feel perfectly content to look the other way as our jobs, businesses and our entire rural economy tremble in the balance.
Willapa Bay is the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the entire U.S. The shellfish industry is the largest employer in Pacific County and the backbone of the rural economy, responsible for more than 2,000 family-wage jobs and $102 million in annual economic output.