Grays Harbor Juvenile Fish Use Assessment

Grays Harbor, part of the Chehalis River estuary in western Washington State, is the second largest estuary in the state of Washington. It encompasses the tidally-influenced lower reaches of the Chehalis, Humptulips, Hoquiam, Wishkah, Johns and Elk Rivers as well as several smaller tributaries and sloughs and is home to numerous declining stocks of native salmonids that are important to the overall biological diversity in Washington State.

This project examined current nearshore habitat usage patterns of juvenile salmonids to evaluate potential habitat restoration projects. Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) staff sampled over 20 sites throughout Grays Harbor twice per month from March through September. Sample sites were spread throughout the estuary in order to better capture the usage of the entire estuary, but targeted locations where habitat restoration and protection projects could potentially be sited. WFC worked with the Chehalis Basin technical committee to best determine where potential habitat restoration and protection projects are located in the estuary.

In addition to fish usage data, WFC staff took Coded Wire Tag readings, and collected relevant physical habitat parameters and water quality data in order to determine how these variables might be driving habitat usage within the estuary. The project final report includes suggested habitat restoration and protection actions based on the data collected over the course of the project.