Nearshore Project Proposal
This four-part Nearshore proposal includes:
1. Underwater videographic eelgrass mapping cosponsored by the Northwest Straits Commission;
2. Comprehensive sampling of the county's many forage fish spawning beaches (cosponsored);
3. Completes a PSAMP-sponsored shoreline hardening inventory; and
4. Implements outreach training programs for 7,000 shoreline owners on nearshore habitat protections: armoring options, shade restoration, beach nourishment, spawn and eelgrass protection, or acquisition/easements.
Identifying and mapping the islands' forage fish spawn areas, eelgrass beds, and hardened shorelines are undertakings of the Island Co. Marine Resources Committee (MRC). The proposal fulfills funding partnerships for all three mapping projects. When the completed survey results are superimposed in GIS maps, the MRC will use the datasets to design and implement science-based local voluntary marine protected areas where appropriate, protecting the county's salmon-travelled nearshores. Surf smelt, sand lance, and herring spawn profusely here - extensive eelgrass beds and graveled beaches nurse forage and salmon alike. "No net loss" regulations protect both the spawning and eelgrass sites (WAC 220-110); but only where the habitat is established by protocol. When completed, these assessments will afford immediate new protections for salmon habitats (and food) along 212 miles of prime marine salmon routes.
All three jobs are finished in two to three years under this proposal.
Funding for this Nearshore Project comes from three sources:
| University of California-Davis College of Veterinary Medicine Marine Ecosystem Health Program | $17,000 |
| Northwest Straits Commission | $ 25,720 |
| Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board | $130,000 |
Washington State University Cooperative Extension (Beach Watchers Volunteer program)
Island County Government: (Public Works Salmon Recovery and Watershed programs, Health and Planning)
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (LaConner Team)
San Juan County Marine Resources Committee