Salish Sea

The Salish Sea is an interconnected network of coastal waterways spanning southwestern British Columbia and northwestern Washington, including the Strait of Georgia, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound.

Strait of Georgia: A broad strait between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia. It forms the Salish Sea’s northern major basin.
Tides: The periodic rise and fall of sea level, driven mainly by the Moon’s and Sun’s gravity. Tidal exchange moves water through the Salish Sea’s constricted passages.
Orca: A toothed whale species whose populations include resident and transient groups in the North Pacific. Southern Resident orcas are a prominent endangered population in these waters.
Coast Salish peoples: Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest whose communities speak Coast Salish languages. The sea’s name recognizes their longstanding ties to its shores and waters.
Southern Resident killer whale: An endangered population of fish-eating orcas that inhabits the waters of Washington and British Columbia. Its decline exposes how prey loss, pollution, and disturbance intersect in the sea.
Strait of Juan de Fuca: A strait connecting the Pacific Ocean with the waters between Vancouver Island and Washington. It is the Salish Sea’s principal western entrance to the Pacific.
Estuary: A coastal ecosystem where freshwater from rivers mixes with seawater. The sea’s river-fed inlets and marine waters exhibit estuarine mixing.
Salmon: Anadromous fish that hatch in freshwater, migrate to the ocean, and return to spawn. Several salmon species connect the sea’s marine food web with its rivers.
Lushootseed: A Coast Salish language spoken by Indigenous communities in the Puget Sound region. Its speakers’ homelands include shores of the southern Salish Sea.
Chinook salmon: The largest Pacific salmon species, native to rivers and coastal waters of the North Pacific. Reduced Chinook availability threatens the Southern Residents’ principal prey.

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