Where We Work
Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor:
People and Place
Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor are known for their ecological integrity, high water quality and productive intertidal habitats. These “Twin Harbors” along the southwest coast of Washington are home to protected fish, shorebirds and other wildlife, and thriving eelgrass meadows.
People and their livelihoods are also an integral part of past and present ecosystems on the southwest coast. Indigenous peoples have stewarded the coastal estuaries since time immemorial. The local shellfish aquaculture industry predates Washington’s statehood and continues to influence the local economy and culture. More recently, the bays have been transformed by landscape modifications, including shipping channel maintenance, shoreline and wetland development, the damming of the Columbia River, and large-scale timber extraction.
Despite these historical alterations to the bays and their watersheds, Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor are among the healthiest and most productive working estuaries in North America. In addition to sustaining valuable fisheries, they generate a substantial percentage of the shellfish cultivated in the United States, and the surrounding counties — Pacific and Grays Harbor — are among the most seafood-dependent in the nation. The estuaries also support a diversity of upland natural-resource based livelihoods including agriculture, ranching, and timber.
Landscapes and Livelihoods at Risk
Current management challenges threaten the future of the coastal estuaries, jeopardizing people and place.
Shellfish farmers have long been dedicated advocates of water quality and habitat integrity, raising the alarm about harmful upland land uses, invasive species, and climate change impacts. But the lack of effective tools for managing burrowing shrimp has led to the loss of formerly productive tidelands and the closure of some multi-generational family farms. Coastal communities risk losing important sources of environmental stewardship and local ecological knowledge, as well as jobs, revenue, healthy local foods, and cultural vitality. The decline of the local shellfish industry also reduces the ecological benefits provided by farmed shellfish, including habitat and improved water quality.
Beyond the shellfish industry, invasive European green crab may endanger food webs and foodways through possible impacts to shellfish, Dungeness crab, and many other species. Local ecosystems and communities are also vulnerable to climate change associated impacts from ocean acidification, warming waters, and sea level rise.
