On Nov. 3 and 12, 2020, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted letters to the West Coast district offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding new nationwide permits for commercial shellfish mariculture. Pew recommended that the Corps postpone issuing the 54 pending permits for shellfish farming, pipelines, dams, and other activities until adequate safeguards are in place to protect important coastal habitat, such as eelgrass, that provide critical benefits to communities and marine ecosystems.