Estuarine, intertidal, organic, open, eulittoral

This category includes marsh habitat that can form just at the high water mark on beaches with some wave energy; it is an uncommon type because generally 'open' beaches with substantial wave energy have sandy rather than organic substrate, and dune grass rather than marsh vegetation.

Habitat attributes

Class ID: 
85
Class name: 
Estuarine, intertidal, organic, open, eulittoral
Length: 
6.0 km (in WA)
Primary substrate: 
Organic
Secondary substrate: 
Mud
Tertiary substrate: 
Substrate stability: 
Stabilized by vegetation
Substrate key details: 
No stable surface features
Wave exposure: 
Protected, Very protected
Blue book classes: 
Estuarine intertidal organic: Partly enclosed - Marshes [variety of river and creek deltas]
Map/survey site examples: 
Inner Fidalgo Bay; mouth of Skokomish River
Fish sampling sites: 
Beach seine: Fidalgo Bay
Diagnostic species: 
  • Deschampsia beringensis
  • Distichlis spicata
  • Salicornia depressa
  • Argentina egedii
  • Juncus arcticus
  • Calamagrostis nutkaensis
  • Leptocottus armatus
  • Hypomesus pretiosus
  • Platichthys stellatus
  • Oligocottus maculosus
  • Gasterosteus aculeatus
Species notes: