What's Going On in

Puget Sound

A changing face of the Puget Sound affects those visitors and residents who utilize its resources. Some quick facts:

Boat Use - In the year 2000, the Department of Natural Resources estimated that Washington State has approximately 1,200 boat ramps, 3,600 piers and docks, and 30,000 recreational boat slips. Washington also has the most boats per-capita in the United States.

Commercial and Recreational Shellfishing - The shellfish industry in Washington waters produces millions of pounds of shellfish each year. Furthermore, in 2001, the State Department of Fish and Wildlife observed almost 190,000 recreational shellfish harvesters on Public Purget Sound beaches.

Development of Shorelines - About one-third of Puget Sound's shorelines have been modified with homes, bulkheads, boat ramps, or other form of development. These modifications provide water access to boaters, fishers, and private home owners.

Population Development - The waters of Puget Sound do not end at the northern border of Washington State; rather, they extend into Canada's Georgia Basin, and together these shared waters form a vast inland sea. Two hundred years ago, nearly 10,000 people lived along these waters. By 2010, seven million people are expected to live near or along the inland waters of Canada and Washinton.

This is your community and your environment, so being involved in Harbor WildWatch benefits everyone. Finding out about the world around you and how you impact your world goes beyond generations. You make the difference everyday.

So get Involved!

When toxic materials enter the marine environment, they initially concentrate in communities, such as a mudflat where oysters and clams are common.  Over time, however, toxic materials in the marine environment extend beyond small communities: as poisoned organisms lower in the food web are eaten by organisms higher in the food web that are more motile (like a bird consuming a clam), toxins have the potential to travel across the globe and accumulate higher and higher in the food chain.

Because of this possibility, it is important to manage and protect habitats throughout the Puget Sound.  In doing so, organisms further away can also be protected from toxic poisons that interfere with an organisms physiology or ability to reproduce. Your involvement and concern for the environment will benefit generations to come. Do your part for Puget Sound... get involved.

Information is from our book "Puget Sound's Wildside"