Chances are you know where to find the Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia, but do you know where the Salish Sea is? You’re not alone if you don’t.
Reference map for the Salish Sea Bioregion with boundary highlighted in white. (Aquila Flower, 2020)
Where is the Salish Sea?
The Salish Sea is the inland sea that reaches from the south end of Puget Sound in Washington State, to the north end of the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia, and to the west opening of the Strait of Juan de Fuca where it meets the Pacific Ocean. The combination of these three bodies of seawater plus the surrounding watershed basin forms a single integrated ecosystem.
The Salish Sea spans approximately 49,000 sq. mi. (128,000 sq. km.). Of that, 14% is seawater and 86% is the surrounding watershed basin, not including the upper Fraser River watershed.
The geology here was built up by the forces of plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions, and then carved out by glaciers and erosion. When the last glacier retreated about 12,000 years ago, it left behind an inland sea with channels that reach 2,130 ft. (650 m.) in depth and more than 400 islands. Those deep channels allow cold, nutrient-rich saltwater from the Pacific to enter and mix with fresh water that drains from the surrounding river systems to create a habitat that sustains more than 3,400 marine animal species.
Coast Salish region and cultural groups. (Burke Museum)
Why give it a name?
The Salish Sea crosses the border between the U.S. and Canada. Yet, neither oil spills nor marine life recognize lines on a map. People began to fear an oil spill on either side of the border could foul the waterways of both countries. That fear drove scientists to study the circulation, salinity, and marine life throughout the inland sea. They found that it was a single ecosystem supporting one food web. That food web needed coordinated, multi-national protection. The habitat that supported that food web needed a name.
“Coast Salish” refers to the family of languages spoken by the many cultural groups of indigenous people who have lived here for more than 10,000 years. The Salish Sea name acknowledges these first stewards of this ecosystem. All of us who live in the Salish Sea watershed today live on the ancestral lands of the Washington State Tribes and First Nations of British Columbia. We must all work together to protect the Salish Sea.
Who lives here?
More than 3,400 marine species and 8 million people call the Salish Sea home. Unless you are a diver, the animals you see most often are those who operate at the surface: graceful Humpback, Minke and Gray whales; agile killer whales, Dall’s porpoises, and Pacific white-sided dolphins; immense sea lions and ubiquitous seals; meticulously-groomed sea otters; bright-beaked Tufted puffins. These are some of the iconic species that captivate us and symbolize our culture in the Pacific Northwest.
These neighbors depend on thousands of species that are harder for us to see. Our mighty salmon feed on small forage fish such as herring and smelt. These fish rely on the shelter of bull kelp forests that serve as their nursery. The kelp forests rely on the sea otters to eat urchins that would otherwise eat the kelp. And on it goes… All of the species that live here, the seen and unseen, are equally important members of an intricately connected food web. If any one species in the web falters, the health of all is impacted, including humans.
What impact have we had on this ecosystem?
Despite this exquisite biodiversity, the Salish Sea is not the healthy home it once was. 113 local species are listed as endangered or threatened or are candidates for addition to the U.S. Endangered Species list because of the way we live.
We pull too much out of our ocean. Too many fish to eat. Too much oil to burn. Too many nearshore and watershed habitats to develop.
We also put too much into the ocean. Too much waste in the form of garbage, plastic, toxic chemicals, and carbon emissions. Too many vessels that create noise and strike animals. Too much fishing gear that entangles and kills animals not intended to be caught.
SR3 responds to, rehabilitates, and researches marine animals to help those in urgent need due to human impacts, as well as collect health data which informs conservation efforts.
With local human populations continuing to grow, the stress we put on local species is increasing. If we don’t reduce that stress, it won’t just be our neighboring species who suffer. Our food supply, cultures, and economies will suffer too.
What can we do?
We must protect the Salish Sea. We know we can succeed. We’ve done it before. By the middle of the last century, marine mammals in U.S. waters, including humpback whales, sea lions and seals, had been hunted nearly to extinction. Federal regulations enacted in the 1970s, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act, stopped the hunt. With these protections in place, these animals have recovered and are once again thriving in the Salish Sea. Their stories show us what we can protect when we work together.
Each of us can make a difference. Use the following resources to learn how to give animals the space they need to feed, socialize and mate without disruption, reduce pollution in their water, and buy only sustainably-caught seafood to prevent depletion of fish stocks.
Learning from local research. SR3 is on the frontlines of local marine animal research and recovery. By opening the Pacific Northwest’s first marine wildlife specialty hospital, we are gaining a better understanding of the ever-changing threats that marine animals face and how we can best address those issues.
Working together in partnership. When we work together, we can achieve more. SR3 works with many organizations and community supporters to respond to animals in distress, rehabilitate them, and conduct research that informs conservation efforts. And now, SR3 welcomes the Mission Blue team to our community of stewards as we recognize the Salish Sea as a Hope Spot. We welcome their support in working to restore and preserve this unique place that we are fortunate to call home.