Nearshore habitats are often thought of as nurseries for the ocean. Ecosystems such as seagrass meadows, marshes, mangrove forests, coral reefs, rocky shores, islets, coastal wetlands, beaches, dunes, and anchialine pools provide sanctuaries for juveniles as well as many other benefits to the ocean such as nutrient cycling (NOAA 2004). The degradation of this environment has largely been due to human actions such as overfishing, dredging, filling and draining of wetlands, and pollution (Beck et al. 2003). The loss of these crucial environments has had many negative effects on the ocean as a whole and needs to be efficiently addressed. This is especially true in places like the Pacific Northwest where the ocean plays a very pivotal role in the lives of the people that live there.

Schermeister, Phil, and National Geographic. San Juan Islands. Digital image.

In this website you will find various local species and how they fit into the nearshore habitat, how the Pacific northwest nearshore compares to other nearshores nationally, how we can help restore this vital habitat, and who is already working on Puget Sound nearshore restoration.