Clallam Marine Resources Committee
Clallam County’s 200 miles of shoreline stretch along the northern third of Washington’s rugged outer coast and the length of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the middle of Discovery Bay. The county's rich nearshore and marine waters are the gateway to the Northwest Straits and are transited more than 5,000 times each year by container ships, tankers, and barges bound for Puget Sound ports. This geography fuels marine economic activity—fishing, marine transportation services, ship building, tourism, and a strong Coast Guard presence. Clallam County is mostly rural, with a population of 70,000 people—nearly 20,000 in Port Angeles, the county seat. The relatively mild, dry climate of eastern Clallam County, especially in Sequim, has led to an influx of new residents. Olympic National Park and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary are ecological treasures that last year attracted more than 2.8 million visitors.
Clallam County MRC consists of 15 citizens that represent commercial and sport fishers, local government, the Makah Tribal Council, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, builders, conservation interests, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and representatives from the county’s different geographic areas. Clallam County MRC members are often working professionals who balance MRC duties with the demands of their “day job”.
The MRC’s stated purpose is “to discover collaborative ways to improve shellfish harvest areas, protect marine habitat, support salmon and bottomfish recovery, and examine resource management alternatives. Ultimately, we will recommend remedial actions to local authorities. In meeting these goals, we hope to address and rectify the many serious threats to the Northwest Straits, its natural resources and human residents.”
Clallam MRC is developing a strategic plan that will guide the committee in its efforts over the next 5-10 years. The Committee has focused its work on addressing issues associated with coastal erosion, shellfish and water quality, forage fish, nearshore marine habitat, and rockfish. The future removal of the two Elwha River dams and expected changes in the nearshore marine ecology that will result have been a strong driver for recent MRC projects. Additionally, the MRC is an advocate for responsible growth in the region. As the county grows, stormwater runoff, reduced estuary health, habitat degradation, and impaired water quality are pressing issues.
The Clallam MRC funded a pilot project using video and geo-referencing technology to record shoreline features from a survey vessel just offshore. They also collected fish use data in the Elwha nearshore zone. Both of these data sets will assist the county as they update their shoreline master plan in the coming years. Additionally, the MRC monitored area beaches for paralytic shellfish poisoning and relayed the information to the Department of Health.
Click here to see the 2008 Clallam MRC project matrix.
Click here to see reports from some of the Clallam MRC projects.
MRC Members
- Ed Bowlby
- Don Hatler
- Brooks Hollern
- Randy Johnson
- Jim McEntire
- Doug Morrill, vice chair
- Lyn Muench
- Joe Schmitt
- Andrew Shogren, chair
- Arnold Schouten
- Bob Vreeland
- Jeff Ward
- Nathan West
- Anne Shaffer, ex officio
- John Cambalik, ex officio
Contact
David Freed
224 East 4th Street, Suite 15
Port Angeles, WA 98362
360-565-2619
dfreed@wsu.edu
Clallam MRC Meetings
Date: Third Monday of each month
Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
Location: Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room (location may change on certain months), Port Angeles
Click the link below to go to the Clallam MRC web site:
www.clallammrc.org