Puget Sound Partnership Action Agenda adopted Dec. 1

The San Juan Islands boast some of the most pristine waters and habitat in Puget Sound. So why the concern for their protection and restoration?

Because our ecosystem is still rich, we have more to lose than many other areas in Puget Sound. And we can’t deny that locally, there are some serious problems.

Ten percent of the local orca whale population died this year. Endangered Chinook salmon are still failing. A huge decline in sea birds continues. Pinto abalone is near extinction. Inexplicably, we are losing critical eelgrass. And the days of plentiful rockfish are gone.

Contributing to these problems are:

Derelict fishing gear. The Northwest Straits Commission has removed hundreds of old gill nets from our waters. One, found near a National Wildlife Reserve, had three feet of bird bones beneath it. The commission’s dive team continues to find hundreds of these nets – no doubt contributing to the unprecedented loss of sea birds such as Western Grebes and Tufted Puffins.

Chemicals. Rather than flushing used X-ray chemicals down the drain, a local veterinarian stores them for proper hazardous waste disposal. But collection happens only once a year and by then he has the equivalent of three 55-gallon drums of the old chemicals. We need a better system to support residents and businesses that want to protect our waters.

Armoring. Forage fish are a staple to the diet of salmon and other fish. Shoreline armoring (primarily bulkheads) can negatively impact beaches where forage fish spawn. In the San Juan Initiative’s case study areas, more than 200 parcels were found with shoreline armoring, yet only nine permits had been issued. Almost half of this armoring took place on documented or potential forage fish beaches.

As the decline in our marine life suggests, time is not our friend. Our window of opportunity to begin turning things around is closing.

That’s why Governor Gregoire and the Legislature created the Puget Sound Partnership – to figure out how Puget Sound is being polluted, what should be done to clean it up and how to protect it in the future.

Now, for the first time, the region has a science-based, results-oriented strategy in place to restore and protect all of Puget Sound. The Action Agenda, adopted Dec. 1, identifies key actions for San Juan County, including:

Protecting the high value habitats still intact throughout our 428 islands;

Restoring degraded land and water; and

Stopping pollution at its source.

Thanks to the hard work and foresight of many organizations, we already have approved roadmaps for accomplishing these actions. By implementing the non-regulatory San Juan Marine Stewardship Area Plan, the Salmon Recovery Plan and the San Juan Initiative recommendations, we can begin to turn things around.

Among other things, these plans call for: better protection from oil spills; improved stormwater runoff management; acquiring salmon habitats; removing derelict fishing gear; providing technical assistance to property owners; improving coordination; and ramping up stewardship, communication and education efforts.

By working collaboratively, we can ensure our San Juan Islands – and all of Puget Sound – are healthy for orcas, fish, birds and people for generations to come.

Tom Cowan lives on Lopez Island and is the Puget Sound Partnership’s regional liaison for the San Juans. For more information about the Action Agenda, please visit www.psp.wa.gov.