Orca Recovery Events

Clallam MRC reported that 279 individuals participated in Orca Recovery Events in October & November!  

Event partners included Clallam County Marine Resources Committee, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and the Port Angeles Garden Club. Together they hosted five educational programs and two volunteer restoration events throughout the Olympic Peninsula to bring awareness to the plight of the Southern Resident killer whales, and aid in salmon recovery. 

Monitoring forage fish spawning

Jefferson MRC conducted its ninth year of monitoring forage fish spawning activity at Fort Townsend with surveys in October and November 2023.

Forage fish play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, serving as a primary food source for various species and contributing to the overall health of coastal environments. Jefferson MRC volunteers monitor various sites for forage fish spawning activity in partnership with Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Mussel Watch

Mussel Watch a monitoring project led by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) harnesses the power of citizen science volunteers to assess nearshore contamination in Puget Sound. WDFW staff and local volunteers place mussel cages at monitoring sites throughout Puget Sound, where the mussels feed for several months. When the mussels are retrieved, they are subjected to contaminant analysis. The outcomes of this collection and testing program helps to identify specific contaminant hot spots and evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to mitigate them over time.

Whatcom MRC recently deployed two mussel cages at Birch Bay on November 13.

Snohomish MRC also recently deployed mussel cages at eight locations on November 13. These cages will be retrieved in early 2024.