Resource
Concerns & Priorities for the Clallam County MRC
Members
of Clallam County's MRC are working to restore nearshore, intertidal and estuarine
habitats, improve shellfish harvest areas, support salmon and bottomfish recovery
and identify and urge establishment of marine protected areas. These actions
complement those of existing local and state authorities to address the many
serious threats to the Northwest Straits, its natural resources and human residents.
As
a result of a public workshop series
the Clallam County MRC considers the following as resource concerns:
Coastal
Erosion | Shellfish and Water Quality
| Forage Fish | Nearshore Marine
Habitat | Rockfish
Geographic
Areas of Interest or Concern:
Discovery
Bay
Protection Island
Sequim Bay
Washington Harbor
Jamestown Beach
Dungeness Bay
Three Crabs area
Cline Spit County Park
Green Point
Siebert Creek
Morse Creek area
Port Angeles Harbor
Peabody Creek
Valley Creek
Ediz Hook
Elwha Dam
Elwha River and shoreline
Freshwater Bay
Crescent Bay-Salt Creek
Whiskey Creek
Murdock Creek
Twin Rivers
Milepost 36
Green Creek-Pysht; Hoko and Sekiu
Pillar Point
Sekiu
Neah Bay
Coastal
Erosion
Coastal Process Map
Beaches
in the Puget Sound area have experienced significant losses in area due to lack
of sediment input and erosion from armoring shorelines and alterations in lower
river courses and water courses. These practices increase beach erosion from
wave action. Natural erosion rates in Clallam County are inches per year which
is not rapid compared to other areas. Bulkheading is present in 20 percent of
eastern Clallam county shores in comparison to 50 percent in the Puget Sound
area. It is important that in future development, Clallam County learn from
what has happened in the greater Puget Sound region.
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Shellfish and Water Quality
Shellfish
Map | Specific Areas of Water
Quality Concerns Map
Water quality
in Dungeness Bay is declining. High fecal coliform samples at the mouth
of the bay have forced a partial closure of shellfish harvesting. The Jamestown
S’Klallam Tribe lost one-third of its oyster farm at the mouth of the bay
due to high fecal coliform levels. Shellfish harvesting was changed from Approved
to Prohibited in 2000 and in 2001 the Prohibited area continued to expand. Water
samples from a farm near the mouth of the Dungeness River have shown fecal coliform
levels above the Clean Water Act limit and areas upriver are becoming of areas
of concern. The economic impact of the shellfish closure extends from commercial
farms to loss of recreational opportunities affecting other industries such
as motels, restaurants and the image of the community itself.
Dungeness
Bay continues to be a primary area of concern for the Marine Resources Committee.
The committee is currently researching ways to apply microbial backsource tracing
and new RNA ribo-typing technologies to discover sources for the fecal contamination.
Paralytic
Shellfish Poisoning (PSP or red tide) levels have increased in toxicity
over the years. The summer of 2000 was especially alarming since in some areas
the PSP level reached as high as 5,000 micrograms per 100 grams of tissue. The
closure level is 80 mcg/100 gm of tissue. The MRC has established a new monitoring
program in areas west of Dungeness and the Department of Health has indicated
that the levels of PSP on public beaches there are below the closure levels.
Oysters
are an important commercial and recreational resource for Clallam County. The
Olympia oyster, first consumed by non-Natives in George Vancouver’s exploratory
party in Discovery Bay, is now gone from the Strait. It has been historically
documented in Sequim Bay and is believed to have been in other embayments, including
Dungeness Bay and Port Angeles Harbor. The Clallam County MRC is currently considering
how to partner with other agencies to work toward restoration of the Olympia
oyster to embayments in Clallam County.
Shellfish
(other than mollusks) in the Strait appear to be stable (http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fishcorn.htm
and http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish-sh.htm).
The challenge for the future, as the population grows, is to maintain that stability.
Dungeness crab is an extremely important resource for commercial and
recreational harvesters. The commercial harvest has been quite high since
1997 due to an abundance of these crab in the Strait. Sport harvest has remained
relatively stable.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife recently studied 17 geoduck tracks
fished between 80 and 90 percent. The study was conducted to help quantify
recovery. Findings indicated that the effects of the fishing were localized
in the immediate harvest area and are short term, with recovery beginning
within a couple of weeks.
The harvest level of green sea urchins has been lower that the quota
due to their declining value in the commercial market. Prices are climbing
and an increase in harvest may result.
Red sea urchins are in steady decline; there is currently a reduction
in catch quotas due to lack of survey information.
Abalone, once plentiful, are now scarce, due to poaching, especially
in the Freshwater Bay area.
There
are other threats to shellfish in Clallam County. Although the European green
crab was found in Willipa Bay and Grays Harbor in 1998, so far none has been
found in the Strait. This species of crab is invasive and is a dangerous threat
to native crab with serious potential economic and ecological impacts. Currently
the MRC is not doing green crab monitoring in Clallam County. Ballast water
on large ships can also bring non-native animals from foreign ports. This issue
has potential for large impacts on county resources.
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Forage
Fish
Forage
Fish Reports | Forage fish
map
There
are three main species of forage fish in Clallam County. Many species that were
once abundant in the county are now disappearing.
Pacific herring spawning grounds involve 250 miles of shoreline, with
a large gap in spawning grounds between Dungeness and Grays Harbor. Commercial
herring fisheries were regulated out of business, due to concerns about the
health of the stock. Harvest levels peaked in the mid-1970s; reduction fisheries
and sac-roe fisheries were both closed in the early-1980s.
Surf smelt are a nearshore-dwelling fish and an important part of salmon
diet. They spawn in sandy gravel in intertidal beaches. The main spawning
beaches in Clallam county are Dungeness Bay (Cline Spit County Park has the
heaviest concentration), Whiskey Creek, Deep Creek, Twin Rivers, and Murdock
Creek. Surf smelt are fished commercially and yield approximately 30-50 tons
of fish annually.
Little is known about the pacific sand lance, or candlefish, however
they have been documented as an important element of salmon diet. They spawn
in intertidal beaches; most bays and inlets in the Puget Sound Basin will
support spawning activity. Their habit of spawning in upper intertidal zones
of protected sand-gravel beaches makes them vulnerable to shoreline development,
so much so that if a structure intrudes three to five feet into a habitat
it creates a barrier to any future spawning. In East Clallam County spawning
areas include Sequim Bay, Dungeness Bay, Discovery Bay and Ediz Hook. The
west end of the county is largely unsurveyed.
Recent
forage fish surveys in Clallam county will help the MRC evaluate what need to
be done to increase and maintain forage fish populations.
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Nearshore
Marine Habitat
Clallam
County nearshore marine habitat is rich and diverse. The southern shore of the
Strait contains 250 km of shoreline and 50 percent (the majority) of kelp resources
found along coastal Washington. Nearshore habitat is used for spawning, protection
and feeding by three federally-listed salmonid species, rockfish, forage fish,
shrimp, crab and oysters. Humans have a significant impact on nearshore habitat.
Alteration of the lower portions of rivers and tidal deltas through
diking, armoring, culverts, tidegates and channelizing has resulted in extensive
loss of estuarine habitat and function. This includes the loss of wetlands,
eelgrass and clam habitat, and an increase in flooding. Altering lower rivers
by changing how sediment is transported along the shorelines also destroys
forage fish habitat. Areas of concern based on alterations to the river are
Pysht, Snow Creek, Salt Creek, the Elwha River, Dry Creek, Valley Peabody
and Ennis Creeks, Morse Creek, the Dungeness River, the Grays Marsh area,
Bell Creek, Washington Harbor, Jimmy-Come-Lately Creek and Snow Creek.
Armoring (bulkheading) the shoreline removes the riparian corridor
which is critical for forage fish egg survival. It deposits fill on beaches
which removes spawning and migration habitat. The hard surfaces of bulkheads
change the hydro-dynamics of the water by increasing wave energy along the
face of the bulkhead. As a result, beaches are coarsened and rendered unsuitable
for forage fish spawning. Areas of concern are the Highway 101 roadbed, the
breakwater west of Slip Point, Jim Creek, the armored shoreline between the
Elwha River mouth and Morse Creek, and the armored area of central southern
Dungeness Bay (three Crabs to Grays Marsh).
In Clallam County, water quality has diminished due to non-point and
point source pollution, including poor septic-system maintenance, use
of lawn maintenance products and agricultural and road runoff. These sources
of pollution impact shellfish and eelgrass beds. Drift and attached kelp beds
and eelgrass beds along the majority of Clallam County shoreline are vulnerable
to water quality declines. Shellfish in Dungeness Bay have been dramatically
impacted by point and non-point source pollution. Priority areas for concern
include Neah Bay, Freshwater Bay, Port Angeles Harbor, Dungeness Bay, Washington
Harbor, Sequim Bay and Discovery Bay. In addition, the entire shoreline of
Clallam County is vulnerable to both toxic spills from industry and catastrophic
oil spills.
Overwater and inwater structures are also a concern in the county since
they destroy habitat and alter the hydrodynamics of the shoreline. Individual
docks are increasing, particularly in Sequim and Discovery Bays and their
impacts on habitat and resources have not been adequately assessed. Other
priority areas include the gravel mine west of Twin Rivers, Rayonier Pier,
Morse Creek, and John Wayne Marina.
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Rockfish
Rockfish
Map
There
are several species of rockfish in the waters of Clallam County. These fish
have long life spans, mature slowly, and tend to stay in one place, factors
that make them difficult to manage.
Yelloweye
rockfish are particularly vulnerable since they are a deep water fish which,
if caught and brought to the surface, will die even if released, because of
the pressure differential which distends the swim bladder, stomach and eyes.
Other species in Clallam County include Black rockfish, quillback rockfish,
China rockfish, vermilion rockfish and canary rockfish. Generally the relative
status of rockfish shows a 50 percent decline from 1975 to the present and the
size of the fish is decreasing.
Species
numbers are shifting in some areas: Sekiu now has more black rockfish, while
Port Angeles has shown a decline in this stock. Rockfish are abundant along
the ocean coast.
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Geographic
Areas of Interest or Concern
Generally
Kelp
beds along the Strait of Juan de Fuca are extremely variable and are different
from the kelp habitats of other areas of Washington inland waters such as Puget
Sound. Drift habitat is also a highly variable and critical habitat. Kelp beds
from Neah Bay to the Elwha River are critical for abalone, rockfish, ling cod,
juvenile and adult salmon, and forage fish. These areas must be managed wisely.
The entire shoreline of Clallam County is vulnerable to non-point pollution
from road and development runoff. It is also vulnerable to oilspill pollution.
All
lower portions of rivers where diking, armoring and culverting, tidegates,
or channelizing have resulted in extensive loss of estuarine habitat and function
and an increase in flooding are areas of concern.
Specific Areas
Map:
Specific Areas of Interest
Map: Specific Geographic Areas of Concern
Map: Specific Geographic Areas
of Water Quality Concern
Discovery Bay
Pacific herring stock has plummeted in the last 10 years, while those in Dabob
Bay and Quilcene are larger. Despite a lack of industry (and pollution), and
with spawning areas intact, the herring are gone
This bay contains Pacific sand lance spawning sites
Olympia oyster was once present at head of bay. It needs to be restored.
Water quality has decline due to non-point pollution from stormwater routing
(ulvoid mats are reported to be increasing). There has been an increase in
overwater structures such as private docks and floats
Rapid increase in shoreline armoring and tightlines (stormwater routing) from
residential development has occurred.
Important eelgrass beds exist throughout this bay.
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Protection
Island
Kelp beds nearby have gradually declined.
From 1996 to the present, no kelp beds have been observed.
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Sequim
Bay
This area is potentially in danger due to bulkheads and homes built close
to the beach
The flushing rate in the bay is rapid; sewage tends to stay out of the bay.
City of Sequim sewage treatment plant now treats effluent to Class A water
quality, which can be used for food production and other uses
A mitigation study for the John Wayne Marina discovered elevated coliform
counts in clam tissues collected from the mouth of Sequim Bay. Management
practices were altered and count declined. There is no evidence that the marina
currently affects water quality in Sequim Bay.
Herring stock which once existed in the bay might now be extinct. In the mid-1970s,
it was hovering around a few hundred tons. No eggs were found in the 1990s.
In the 1970s, young fish followed older fish into the bay opening. There may
now be no fish left that know the way into the bay.
This bay contains very dense Pacific sand lance spawning sites close to the
high water mark. South of John Wayne Marina, inadvertent total destruction
of a dense sand lance spawning site occurred during marina construction due
to lack of knowledge of its existence.
Surf smelt spawning habitat has been documented.
Non-point pollution is increasing from stormwater conveyances to beach. Ulvoid
blooms are reported to be increasing.
Fill from John Wayne Marina removed nearshore habitat, including eelgrass
beds.
There has been an increase in armoring of shoreline.
Overwater structures (docks) are increasing.
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Washington
Harbor
Water quality declines from Bell Creek.
Disruption of nearshore hydro-dynamics from culverts and Bell Creek alterations
has occurred.
The Olympia oyster has been historically documented at this site and should
be restored.
Critical eelgrass beds exist throughout Sequim Bay
Sequim bay is an important shellfish habitat.
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Jamestown
Beach
Historically this is one of the richest shorelines along the central Strait.
Shoreline is subject to flooding and sedimentation and has been advancing
outward; sediment deposits have created a bar, behind which a dynamic eelgrass
system has developed.
An overall decrease in eelgrass and black brant was noted beginning in 1991.
Harmful macroalgae blooms are increasing and may be smothering eelgrass and
causing fine sediments to drop out of water column.
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Dungeness
Bay
There has been an increase in harmful microalgae (ulvoid mats) which smothers
eelgrass, slows water and causes sediment to drop out and has resulted in
decline of eelgrass and black brant on Jamestown Beach
Over 10 years, eelgrass has decreased 63% and ulvoids have increased 261%
High fecal coliform counts in samples collected in Dungeness Bay forced partial
closure of shellfish harvesting and continues to be a concern. The Jamestown
S’Klallam Tribe lost one-third of their oyster farm at the mouth of the
Dungeness River due to high contamination levels
A sand bar has been forming near Three Crabs; there is evidence of rapid changes
occurring.
Dungeness River is a primary source of fecal coliform in the bay.
More seaweed may be accumulating along southern Dungeness Bay and Three Crabs
Road.
Pacific sand lance spawning sites are present.
Dense ulvoid mats have resulted in significantly more dead clams, significantly
fewer live clams and significantly larger live clams that on a comparative
beach without ulvoids.
Rapid armoring of southern Dungeness Bay is impacting the hydrodynamics of
the bay
Alterations of Cooper and Casselary Creek mouths and Grays Marsh have altered
the hydro-dynamics and flushing of the bay and removed marsh habitat.
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Three
Crabs area
A septic installer reported that many septic systems in the Three Crabs area
are failing. To date, he does not believe anything can be done about it.
The shoreline near Three Crabs Restaurant has been pushed out 100’ within
the last century.
Eelgrass offshore has decreased.
Ulvoid mats are increasing.
The hydro-dynamics of this area of the bay is changing.
Shellfish beds are shifting in composition.
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Cline
Spit County Park
This is an important spawning site for surf smelt and sand lance.
Water quality is a concern, specifically a potential shift in habitat due
to harmful ulvoid blooms.
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Green
Point
In 1940-41, fishers spotted as many as 8 to 10 sand lance ballups at once
during the spring season. It was also one of the finest blackmouth fisheries.
Pilot whales lingered here to eat. In the spring, massive amounts of 8 –
9” sand lance arrived. One of the best fisheries in size and numbers,
it was nearly decimated in 1972.
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Siebert
Creek
Excessive landslides were noted in this area in 2000. The usual erosion rate
is 6” per year, but the 2000 slide was 20’ deep and 150’ high,
in the upper one-third of the bluff.
Thirty feet of bluff have been lost since 1979. The loss is probably due to
precipitation.
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Morse
Creek area
The beach is shifting from west to east due to railroad grade.
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Port
Angeles Harbor
In 1940-41, herring and coho were plentiful. Blackmouth were large, sometimes
40 lbs. Lingcod and candlefish were also thick, as were shrimp and squid.
Industrial use altered the habitat through physical modification of the nearshore
and pollution of nearshore marine waters and sediments.
Armoring between Ediz Hook and Morse Creek has resulted in loss of critical
beach habitat.
Overwater structures, including Rayonier Pier, disrupts the hydro-dynamics
of the shoreline and impacts fish migration.
Water quality declines from point and non-point pollution have resulted in
ulvoid blooms on beaches (Hollywood Beach, for example) and a decline in nearshore
habitat quality.
Fill on the nearshore (Morse Creek, for example) has resulted in loss of nearshore
habitat.
Eelgrass present in areas of the south central bay is not altered by armoring
or overwater structures.
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Peabody
Creek
Significant alterations to the lower creek and shoreline have disrupted the
hydro-dynamics of both the creek and the nearshore.
There have been water quality declines due to road stormwater runoff and point
source overflows.
Valley
Creek
Severe alteration of the lower river has resulted in disruption of hydro-dynamics
of both the lower creek and the creek mouth.
Water quality from stormwater runoff is a significant concern.
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Ediz
Hook
Damming of the Elwha River and armoring of bluffs between Dry Creek and Ediz
Hook have cut off the sediment source for Ediz Hook and the shoreline west
of the hook, resulting in beaches dominated by large cobble.
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Elwha
Dam
The Elwha and Glines Dams trap most of the sediment traveling down the Elwha
River and prevent sediment from accumulating on beaches east of the river
mouth. This has caused severe erosion of the Elwha River delta over the past
25-30 years.
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Elwha
River and shoreline
In 1940-41, the area was home to schools of herring and smelt as well as coho.
The last massive grouping was seen in 1972. As the beach has eroded and become
more coarse (due to damming), the smelt have disappeared.
Damming of the Elwha and armoring of the bluffs between Dry Creek and Ediz
Hook have cult off the sources of sediment, resulting in large cobble beaches
from the mouth of the river to Port Angeles Harbor.
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Freshwater
Bay
A hillslope failure occurred in 1994, due to groundwater recharge and glacial
stratigraphy.
In 1940 – 41 masses of forage fish came in the summer and fall. In the
mid-1960s, candlefish came into the bay every night and people gathered to
watch the king salmon drive them away.
Kelp beds here are very diverse and historically supported abalone. Abalone
have been wiped out by poaching.
Eelgrass beds here are very diverse and productive.
Water quality has declined along the western corner of the bay and ulvoid
mats are accumulating.
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Crescent
Bay-Salt Creek
Very diverse kelp beds are located here, with high forage fish and juvenile
salmonid use.
There are lots of sea urchins in this area.
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Whiskey
Creek
This area has experienced an increase in kelp.
It is an important spawning area for surf smelt.
Rockfish are less plentiful than in the past.
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Murdock
Creek
This is an important area for surf smelt spawning.
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Twin
Rivers
This is an important area for surf smelt spawning.
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Milepost
36
The most notorious landslide in Clallam County occurred here in 1990 following
heavy precipitation (8” in three days).
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Green
Creek-Pysht; Hoko and Sekiu
Fine sediment loads have significantly increased over the last six years.
Large eelgrass beds that are reported to be declining due to sedimentation
are very important for juvenile lingcod and Dungeness crab nursery areas.
Alteration of the lower river due to channelization and culverts has impacted
the nearshore areas.
Dense kelp beds along the shoreline are functionally and structurally diverse.
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Pillar
Point
Debris has accumulated here due to an avalanche in 1996 following a major
snow melt.
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Sekiu
Rockfish numbers are declining and the populations are experiencing a substantial
shift from other rockfish species to black rockfish, which is most dominant
now.
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Neah
Bay
There has been significant alteration of the shoreline from the marina, the
Coast Guard station and the breakwater.
Possible water quality declines have occurred as a result of stormwater runoff.
Derelict and overwater vessels in the nearshore area impact the nearshore
and possibly the eelgrass.
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