Marine Resources
 Marine
resources is a broad, encompassing phrase that incorporates marine
life;
flora and fauna, from algae to eelgrass, from microscopic organisms
to Orcas, and marine habitats; from the deep waters to the intertidal
regions to the upland shore and estuarine areas. A broad range
of people utilize and interact with the marine environment: boaters,
kayakers, sports fishermen, commercial fishermen, shellfish harvesters,
both recreational and commercial, scientists, builders, industry,
recreational users and numerous others. Marine systems and their
resources are a vital and integral part of our existence in Whatcom
County.
 Because
marine resources have been identified as a valuable asset
to the Whatcom County community, Public Works - Natural Resources
has taken on the task of providing a technical resource
to groups involved in restoration and protection efforts for
marine environments throughout Whatcom County.
Natural Resources' role is to provide technical/scientific expertise
and administrative support to various committees in Whatcom
County that are associated with  marine
resources: the Marine Resources Committee, the Drayton Harbor
Shellfish Protection District and the Portage Bay Shellfish
Protection District. Stormwater staff also provides technical
and scientific expertise to other county departments and to
local and regional groups dealing with marine efforts and
issues. Coordination of efforts between all of these various
groups is a key role for the Natural Resources staff. Public education
and outreach are vital tools Natural Resources uses to raise awareness
about marine issues throughout the Whatcom County community.
Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee (MRC)
One of a network
of seven committees in the state, the Whatcom County Marine
Resources Committee is charged with identifying and solving
problems with local marine resources such as intertidal and
estuarine habitat, shellfish beds, and bottomfish. The Stormwater
Division is represented on the committee, and also provides
technical and clerical support.
Congress authorized the
Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative in 1998 in response
to concerns over declining marine life and habitat within the Straits
of Juan de Fuca and northern Puget Sound. The Initiative established
a 13-member Northwest Straits Commission and Marine Resources Committees
(MRCs) in seven western Washington counties. The MRC's main purpose
is to guide local communities, using up-to-date information and
scientific expertise, to achieve the important goals of resource
conservation and habitat protection within the Northwest Straits.
As a way to achieve these goals, the Northwest Straits Commission
established a number of performance benchmarks for the MRCs. These
benchmarks/goals emphasize:
- Broad county participation in MRCs
- The establishment of a regional system of Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs)
- A net gain in high-value habitat and ecosystem functions
- A net reduction in shellfish bed closures
- Measurable increases in factors supporting bottomfish recovery
- Population increases in other key indicator species
- Coordination of scientific data
- Successful public education and outreach efforts
The Whatcom County MRC was established in the fall of 1999 (Ordinance
99-023). Membership on the committee represents five diverse
citizen-based interest groups. These are: Conservation and Environmental
Interest, Economic Interest, Recreational Interest, Relevant
Scientific Expertise, and Citizen-at-Large. In addition, the
MRC has representation from elected officials, local tribes, and
local government staff.
One of the greatest values of the Whatcom County MRC is the
comprehensive approach the group takes towards marine issues in
Whatcom County. There are numerous groups in Whatcom County that
focus on specific marine issues or on specific areas of the marine
environment. The MRC is designed to take a more broad-based approach
to marine resource issues as seen in their Marine Resources of
Whatcom County report, Rapid Shoreline Inventory, 2001 Marine
Summit and marine educational information.
Grant monies:
- Northwest Straits Commission- $30,000 administrative grants (over a 3-year period)
- Northwest Straits Commission- $105,000 action grants (over
a 3-year period)
Key projects/products:
- Marine Summit 2001
- Northwest Straits Nearshore Habitat Inventory Report for
Whatcom County (Anchor Environmental-2002)
- Marine Resources of Whatcom County Report- updated (Anchor
Environmental-2001)
- Whatcom County Rapid Shoreline Inventory (People of Puget
Sound-2001)
- MRC Open House
- NWSC presentation for Whatcom County
- Educational displays, brochure, website
- Numerous public speakers and training sessions
Currently working on:
- Shoreline Stewardship Project
- Creosote Piling Project
- Forage Fish Survey and Educational Video
- Bottom Fish Habitat Compilation/Survey
- Data Management
- Marine Summit 2002
Partnerships: The Whatcom County MRC has forged numerous partnerships
since its inception in 1999. It works with numerous local, regional
and state governments, the tribes, and local citizens and interest
groups to affect change in our marine environment and raise public
awareness of numerous marine issues.
Whatcom County Shellfish Protection Districts
Whatcom County currently has two shellfish protections districts:
one in Drayton Harbor and one in Portage Bay. The Drayton Harbor
Shellfish Protection District (DHSPD) was formed
in 1995 (Ordinance 95-036) and the Portage Bay Shellfish Protection
District (PBSPD) was formed in 1998 (Ordinance 98-069). Both
districts were formed based on the Revised Code of Washington
(RCW) Chapter 90, that requires the county legislative authority
to create a shellfish protection district within 180 days after
the State Department of Health (DOH) closes or downgrades a shellfish
growing area due to a degradation of water quality as a result
of pollution.
The purpose of establishing a shellfish protection district
is to create a forum, through the formation of an advisory committee,
to address point and non-point sources of pollution that may be
affecting water quality over the shellfish beds, with the intent
of developing strategies to help restore the areas for shellfish
harvesting. The advisory committees for the 2 districts consist
of nine members each and are comprised of local citizens, local
governments and tribes with an interest in helping to improve
the water quality of the harbor/bay and the entire shellfish district.
The ultimate goal of the committees is to make improvements to
the water quality of the shellfish district to enable the shellfish
beds to be re-classified to an approved status.
In 2001, the committees worked to help identify potential pollution
sources through volunteer and agency sampling programs, assisted
groups with on-the-ground repair efforts of  potential
pollution sources, provided educational avenues to raise public
awareness and made great strides in forging new and stronger partnerships
with other groups and agencies that share an interest in protecting
and restoring our valuable marine resources. Without the efforts
of these committees, there would be little hope of ever seeing
our marine waters improve to a level that would support safe shellfish
harvesting.
Grant monies:
- Marine Drive Sewer Line Repair (2000/2001) - WRIA1 Early Action Grant- $11,000
- Volunteer Shoreline Monitoring Program (2001) - PSRF - Water
Resources Grant- $3180
- Drayton Harbor Community Oyster Farm Shellfish Restoration
Project (2002) - PSRF - Water Resources Grant- $14,747
Key projects/products:
- Drayton Harbor Status Report and Water Recovery Plan (2000)
- Gravity Sewer Repair- Marine Drive- Construction Completion
Report (2001)
- Drayton Harbor Community Shoreline Water Quality Sampling
Program- Final Report (2002)
- Drayton Harbor Open House
- Drayton Harbor On-site Septic Survey and Report (1998)
- Shucking on the Spit Event (2002)
- Nutrient Management Plans
- Portage Bay On-site Septic Survey (Marietta area)
Currently working on:
- Community Oyster Farm
- Tenmile Creek
- Water quality monitoring programs
- Shared Waters - Circulation Study of Semiahmoo Bay and Drayton
Harbor
Partnerships: The shellfish committees have
formed numerous partnerships to aid in their efforts to restore
Whatcom County marine waters to a level that will support
active shellfish harvesting throughout all of our marine waters.
The Community Oyster Farm Project alone has over 20 partners
involved in helping to restore Drayton Harbor. Partners include
local, county, and state agencies as well as tribes, local
businesses, community groups, Canadian groups, interest groups,
etc.
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