1. What is the nearshore?
Underwater eelgrass beds provide critical refuge and feeding habitat.
Each blade is home to a “buffet” of invertebrates for young salmon to
snackon.Thewavinggrassesprovidehidingplacesfrombiggerpredators.
Forage Fish are small, schooling fishes that are
key prey for salmon. The three most common
species in Puget Sound are Pacific sand lance,
surf smelt, and Pacific herring. They are abundant
in the nearshore where they lay their eggs on
Native riparian vegetation (trees and shrubs)
provides habitat for insects that fall into the water
and feed young salmon and other marine species. In
addition, branches shade the beach, protecting forage fish
eggs from the hot sun, and roots can help stabilize the
shoreline and filter pollutants to improve water quality.
The nearshore is the critical zone where land and sea meet. This includes the tidally
influenced portions of streams and rivers, which can extend several miles upriver
in a large watershed, the shoreline bluffs, the beach itself, and the shallow marine
waters out to where sunlight can still penetrate to the sea floor.
Salmon migrate through shoreline habitats as
they adapt and travel between fresh and salt
water, first as juveniles heading out to sea and again
upon returning to spawn in their natal streams.
Courtesy of King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Eggs
Fry
Spawning
Adults
Smolt
Migrating
adults
Nearshore waters provide salmon with...
a place to adapt
refuge from predators
a rich food web for feeding
a migratory path
beaches and aquatic vegetation such as eelgrass.
Freshwater meets saltwater in the estuary, where young salmon
undergo“smoltification,”thechallengingphysicaltransformationthat
prepares them for life in the ocean. They are vulnerable to predators
during this process and rely on estuary habitat for food and refuge.

2. Salmon in the
Be an active citizen, learn
more, and get involved!
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Additional Resources:
Brochure produced by the Nooksack Salmon Enhancment Association. Funded in part
through the Whatcom Assistance Program, administered by WRIA 1 Joint Board and Salmon
Recovery Board with funding provided by EPA for advancing the Puget Sound Action Agenda.
The information presented may not necessarily reflect the views of the WRIA 1 Boards or its
member entities.
wria1project.whatcomcounty.org
mrc.whatcomcounty.org
Nearshore
What Can YOU do
to Save Salmon
& Shorelines?
Salmon.wria1.org
www.n-sea.org
Be a steward of native riparian vegetation!
Keep or install a buffer of native plants along
the beach or bluff.
Shoreline armoring such as bulkheads and
seawalls negatively impact forage fish
spawning habitat. Consider stabilizing
shorelines with native vegetation or soft
shore armoring where possible.
Marine and freshwater water quality is
impaired throughout Puget Sound. Keep
pollutants from going into the Sound and
consider using environmentally friendly
products in your home and yard.
Eelgrass is sensitive to disturbance - avoid
trampling it on the beach and anchoring
in eelgrass beds while boating.
Printed on 100% recycled materials - please do your part