Fish Habitat Will Be Restored at Orcas Pocket Beach

— from Katie Fleming for the Friends of the San Juans —

State Salmon Recovery Funding Board review panel members visit the )ocket beach restoration site in June 2014

State Salmon Recovery Funding Board review panel members visit the pocket beach restoration site in June 2014

Pocket beaches, those small beaches located between rocky headlands that play such a prominent role in the character of San Juan County’s marine shorelines, also play a key role as habitat for rearing juvenile fish, including salmon, forage fish, lingcod and greenling.

FRIENDS of the San Juans recently secured state salmon recovery funding to help a private landowner restore a pocket beach on Orcas Island. “The location is within a priority surf smelt spawning region of the county, and the project will restore fish habitat by removing extensive creosote wood and rock from over 200 linear feet of beach and bank,” said Tina Whitman, FRIENDS’ Science Director.

Final designs are in progress and implementation is planned for late summer of 2015. For more information on beach habitat, restoration opportunities or creosote removal programs, please contact FRIENDS at 360-378-2319 or tina@sanjuans.org.

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2 Comments

Patty Pirnack-Hamilton November 14, 2014 at 3:46 pm

YAY FRIENDS! Just another reason to support this important organization in our beautiful San Juan Islands! Keep up the great and important work. YAY to the the owners of the pocket beach for wanting to restore it to its natural state to encourage fish foraging and habitat.
San Olson November 14, 2014 at 4:27 pm

This is a wonderful example of how waterfront property owners can participate in the restoration of critical habitat for forage fish, salmon and all that depend on salmonids for sustenance. Pocket beaches are ideal habitats for a variety of important species and although it’s much better to avoid building a bulkhead in the first place, removal offers the opportunity for reclamation of lost habitat. The owners are to be commended for their commitment to habitat restoration.