Programs & Events

Shoreline Stewardship Program Eelgrass Protection Program Workshops & Events Tribal Partnerships Anti-Litter Program

Shoreline Species & Habitats

Forage Fish Eelgrass Kelp Salmon Coastal Forests

Human Impacts

Shoreline Armoring Docks Clearing & Grading Stormwater Toxins in Our Water Voluntary Conservation Programs

All twenty-two populations of Puget Sound Chinook salmon and multiple Fraser River stocks use the San Juans for feeding on their way out to sea and on their return.  In addition to hosting significant resources for the nearshore dependant Chinook and Coho salmon, the waters of the San Juans are also utilized by chum, sockeye and pink salmon during some portion of their life cycle.  Salmonid use in San Juan County waters is concentrated in shallow-water nearshore marine environments as well as connected estuarine and lower freshwater habitats. 

Credit - Peter Kiffney - NOAA Fisheries

Local shorelines provide forage fish spawning sites, extensive eelgrass prairies and feeding, refuge and migration corridors for a range of salmon life history stages and species.  Juvenile salmon move along the shallows of estuaries and nearshore areas during their out-migration to the sea, and may be found in these habitats throughout the year depending on species, stock, and life history stage.  The waters of San Juan County are rich in nutrients and food for marine organisms.  Maintaining this food web around the islands is a critical component of salmon recovery efforts. 

Credit - Captain Carli Whale Watch Tours

Emerging empirical evidence indicates that nearshore-associated freshwater habitats, including pocket estuaries and streams, offer juvenile salmon refuge from predation, increased food resources like insects, and additional time to make the physiological transformation from freshwater to saltwater.  While quantitative studies are limited, a combination of historical and anecdotal reports describes salmonid use of multiple estuarine and freshwater habitats in San Juan County.  Recent field research by Echeverria and Barsh documented the presence of salmonid species of multiple age classes and species, including Coho, chum and sea run cutthroat at lower stream habitat sites on Orcas and San Juan Islands.  Multiple species of out-migrating young salmon have been documented in shallow marine waters within San Juan County from February through September, including juvenile chinook, coho, chum and pink salmon.