TOMALES BAY, Calif. — July 19, 2014 — A Tomales Bay oyster business and several Marin County restaurants have sued the U.S. Interior Department in federal court in San Francisco in a bid to block the July 31 closure of the Drakes Bay Oyster Co.
The lawsuit filed late Thursday contends former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar violated two federal laws when he declined in 2012 to extend the Drakes Bay Oyster Co.'s lease in Drakes Estero at Point Reyes National Seashore.
The lawsuit claims that under the National Aquaculture Act and federal Coastal Zone Management Act, Salazar should have considered the impact of the oyster farm's shutdown on local aquaculture.
If the closure occurs as scheduled, the Tomales Bay Oyster Co. and the restaurants "will either completely lose access to locally harvested oysters or lose access to a substantial and critical component of their locally harvested oyster supply," the lawsuit claims.
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