Remediation and Restoration of Beach, Pocket Estuary, and Nearshore Habitat For Increased salmon fisheries

What do beach, nearshore, and pocket estuary habitat all have in common? These habitats are part of a dynamic ecosystem of sediment exchange and in turn are important habitats for juvenile salmonids. The dioxin-contaminated old Custom Plywood Factory site in Fidalgo Bay in Anacortes, Washington was remediated in fall and winter 2013 in cooperation with the landowner and Department of Ecology. Approximately 70,000 cubic yards of contaminated sawdust and sediment was removed from the bay and disposed of at a proper disposal site. This was replaced by clean sediment on the beach and nearshore habitat. Additionally, a pocket estuary was created behind an earthen berm to replace the coastal lagoon habitat that had been damaged by a fire explosion at the plywood facility. An experimental technique of adding a thin layer to cap to contain contaminants in eel grass beds, while still allowing the eelgrass to thrive was also implemented. Preliminary results indicate that forage fish are able to spawn successfully on the new beach substrate and surf smelt and juvenile salmonids utilize the pocket estuary habitat. This innovative strategy to remediate and restore the contaminated nearshore and shoreline habitat in Fidalgo Bay resulted in a substantial lift to ecosystem functions. This lift in ecosystem services in turn has resulted in increased use of the site by juvenile salmonids and forage fish.