Marine Vegetation Implementation Strategy

Our nearshore environments are home to numerous marine vegetation species, such as kelp and seagrasses, which serve as the foundation for diverse and productive ecosystems. While historically abundant, there has been an observed decline in marine vegetation distribution and abundance across the Puget Sound. There are many potential causes for these declines, including impaired water quality, shoreline development, climate change, and impacts from boating. A coordinated approach is needed to better understand and address these stressors.

Special Announcement: The final Marine Vegetation Implementation Strategy is now available. Click here to learn more.

Why is Marine Vegetation Important?

Kelp and seagrasses are vital to the health of Puget Sound. These species provide critical habitat for a wide array of marine life found in Puget Sound, including forage fish, rockfish, and salmon, and fuel food webs that support healthy bird and marine mammal populations. Additionally, marine vegetation supports fisheries, recreation, coastal protection, and cultural practices of Indigenous communities since time immemorial.

Key Strategies

The Marine Vegetation Implementation Strategy will focus on the following strategies:

Implement targeted research and monitoring initiatives

Many information gaps remain for understanding Puget Sound marine vegetation, their ecosystem services, distribution, and stressors. Successful management and acceleration of marine vegetation recovery rely on accurate and ongoing kelp and seagrass information.

Evaluate and improve implementation of regulations, programs and policies

Conservation and protection of kelp and seagrass is fundamental to long-term recovery of Puget Sound marine vegetation. Effective protection strategies include implementing and strengthening current regulations and policies.

Protect marine vegetation in existing and new reserves, refuges, and protected areas that respect Tribal treaty and sovereign rights

Protecting intact marine vegetation habitats is a cost-effective priority approach to prevent further habitat loss and maintain ecosystem services. The establishment of priority marine vegetation habitat areas supports many local and regional conservation priorities and initiatives.

Use effective restoration methods to accelerate recolonization and expansion of marine vegetation

To accelerate the rate of recovery of marine vegetation, restoration through recolonization and expansion will play a necessary and complimentary role with protection strategies. The restoration strategy approaches include both direct outplanting, transplanting or seeding as well as projects that alter site conditions in such a way to facilitate natural recruitment or expansion. Pilot restoration efforts have tested kelp and eelgrass restoration approaches, yet methods and best practices for specific sites are still being developed, and long-term success is unknown.

Expand and promote responsible stewardship, local food harvest, and outdoor recreation to better connect communities with marine vegetation while upholding Tribal treaty and sovereign rights

There are a wide spectrum of roles that Puget Sound residents and communities play in marine vegetation recovery, as well as ways that they benefit from these habitats. Additionally, kelp and seagrass support Tribal treaty-protected resources and hold cultural significance to Puget Sound Tribes that have stewarded these habitats since time immemorial. This strategy outlines approaches to support a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to achieving marine vegetation habitat and human wellbeing goals.

Supporting Documents

Kelp forest with silver fish swimming throughout and teal ocean background.

Kelp forests provide critical refuge, feeding, and nursery grounds for forage fish, rockfish, and salmon. Photo Credit: Gray McKenna

What Can You Do?

A coordinated effort among tribal, federal, state, and local agencies will be necessary to advance planning, research, and outreach opportunities identified in the regional Kelp and Eelgrass plans and the future Marine Vegetation Implementation Strategy. Opportunities include:

Share information about your research and monitoring projects at the Washington Kelp Research and Monitoring Workgroup.
Identify opportunities for integrating marine vegetation considerations into your local Shoreline Management Plan and Comprehensive Plan.
Integrate information about the importance of marine vegetation into your community outreach and education programs.
Add your kelp project to the WA Kelp Project Inventory, a collaborative tool to increase kelp project awareness and project sharing to advance kelp conservation and recovery efforts.

Two clumps of eelgrass viewed from the surface down.

Eelgrass beds grow in sandy environments along the shores of Puget Sound and contribute to a healthy ecosystem by providing habitat, producing oxygen, and protecting coastlines. Photo Credit: Aaron Barna

What can you do?

Track What's Happening on the Ground

We Invest in Puget Sound Recovery - Check Out Our Funded Projects

Learn More About What We're Working Towards!

The Puget Sound Vital Signs are measures of ecosystem health that guide the assessment of progress toward Puget Sound recovery goals.

Habitat Implementation Strategies Guiding HSIL Investments

Floodplains and Estuaries

Land Development and Cover

Marine Vegetation

Shoreline Armoring