Custom Species Lists
The following list is based on a compilation by Gaydos and Pearson (2011), first published in Northwestern Naturalist no. 92 (2011): 79-94. The authors write that the list “serves as a foundation for determining the occurrence of new species and the disappearance of others, enables selection of species as indicators for ecosystem health, and also provides a basis for identifying the mechanisms responsible for marine bird and mammal declines.” The Salish Sea is defined as the coastal zone including Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and covers 16,925 km2 from Olympia, WA to Campbell River, in British Columbia.
The species on this list were identified using sighting and stranding data and scientific surveys, including the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program (PSAMP) and the British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey. The list includes species that reside in the Salish Sea year-round as well as species that are rarely found there but depend on the marine ecosystem. For example, the savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) nests in salt marsh habitat.
The researchers found that of the 172 bird and 37 mammal species they identified, 42% of birds and 78% of mammals are highly dependent on the marine ecosystem. This means that the remaining 58% of birds and 22% of mammals rely on both the terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and it is crucial for restoration efforts to consider how closely those ecosystems are intertwined. Ongoing documentation, the scientists added, will surely result in additional species being included on this list, which should be considered a starting point rather than a comprehensive summary.
Salish Sea-reliant mammals
-
American Beaver
(Castor canadensis) -
American Black Bear
(Ursus americanus) -
American Mink
(Neovison vison) -
Baird's Beaked Whale
(Berardius bairdii) -
Bottlenose Dolphin
(Tursiops truncatus) -
Brown Bear
(Ursus arctos) -
Bryde's Whale
(Balaenoptera brydei) -
California Sea Lion
(Zalophus californianus) -
Common Minke Whale
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) -
Common Muskrat
(Ondatra zibethicus) -
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
(Ziphius cavirostris) -
Dall's Porpoise
(Phocoenoides dalli) -
False Killer Whale
(Pseudorca crassidens) -
Fin Whale
(Balaenoptera physalus) -
Gray Whale
(Eschrichtius robustus) -
Harbor Porpoise
(Phocoena phocoena) -
Harbor Seal
(Phoca vitulina) -
Hubbs' Beaked Whale
(Mesoplodon carlhubbsi) -
Humpback Whale
(Megaptera novaeangliae) -
Killer Whale
(Orcinus orca) -
Long-beaked Common Dolphin
(Delphinus capensis) -
Mule Deer
(Odocoileus hemionus) -
North American River Otter
(Lontra canadensis) -
Northern Elephant Seal
(Mirounga angustirostris) -
Northern Fur Seal
(Callorhinus ursinus) -
Northern Right Whale Dolphin
(Lissodelphis borealis) -
Pacific White-sided Dolphin
(Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) -
Pygmy Sperm Whale
(Kogia breviceps) -
Raccoon
(Procyon lotor) -
Red Fox
(Vulpes vulpes) -
Risso's Dolphin
(Grampus griseus) -
Sea Otter
(Enhydra lutris) -
Short-beaked Common Dolphin
(Delphinus delphis) -
Short-finned Pilot Whale
(Globicephala macrorhynchus) -
Stejneger's Beaked Whale
(Mesoplodon stejnegeri) -
Steller Sea Lion
(Eumetopias jubatus) -
Striped Dolphin
(Stenella coeruleoalba)
Search for Species
Utilizing double quotes for exact terms can narrow your search results. Ex. A common name search of Northwestern Sedge matches 'Northwestern Sedge' and 'Northwestern Showy Sedge'. Typing "Northwestern Sedge" return only 'Northwestern Sedge'.
- Abarenicola claparedi - (Rough-skinned lugworm)
- Abarenicola pacifica - (Pacific lugworm)
- Abarenicola sp.
- Abies amabilis - (Pacific Silver Fir)
- Abies concolor - (White Fir)
- Abies grandis - (Grand Fir)
- Abies lasiocarpa - (Subalpine Fir)
- Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa - (Subalpine Fir)
- Abies procera - (Noble Fir)
- Abietinaria sp
Species Lists
External links
- BirdWeb
- Burke Museum
- Native plant list (King County)
- Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program
- USGS: Nonindigenous Aquatic Species in Puget Sound
- Washington Herp Atlas
- Washington Invasive Species Council
- Washington Natural Heritage Program
- Washington Natural Heritage Program species lists
- World Register of Marine Species