Salish Sea

The Salish Sea extends across the U.S.-Canada border, and includes the combined waters of the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound Basin and the San Juan Islands.

Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA). Map: Kris Symer. Data source: WAECY.

OVERVIEW

Geographic boundaries of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea

The boundaries of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea are not always consistently defined by scientists and government agencies. This article clarifies the distinctions between oceanographic and watershed-based definitions of these geographic areas. 

RELATED ARTICLES

Report cover
4/30/2017

2016 Salish Sea Toxics Monitoring Review: A Selection of Research

A 2017 report from the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program presents an overview of selected recent monitoring and research activities focused on toxic contaminants in the Salish Sea. 

Water quality, Mammals, Birds, Fishes, Invertebrates, Marine habitat, Estuarine habitat, Nearshore habitat, Freshwater habitat, Salish Sea, Marine birds, Sewage and fecal pollution, Contaminants of emerging concern, Bivalves, Dungeness crabs, Persistent contaminants, Killer whales, Stormwater, Salmonids, Forage fish, Shellfish, Monitoring, Species of concern, Toxic contaminants
Book cover for The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest
4/20/2015

New book focuses on the natural history of the Salish Sea

The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest brings together more than 230 extraordinary images of the Salish Sea. But don't call it a coffee table book. Its lush photos are backed by a serious scientific perspective on this complex and fragile ecosystem.

Geography, Physical environment, Puget Sound Main Basin, Georgia Basin, Marine habitat, Estuarine habitat, Nearshore habitat, Freshwater habitat, Terrestrial habitat, Salish Sea