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Shaw Island Marine Preserve
WAC
220-16-440(5): "Those tidelands and bedlands within
a line beginning at a University of Washington marker on the shore
at Hicks Bay, 122 degrees, 58 minutes, 15 seconds west longitude,
thence due south 500 yards, thence north and west at a distance
of 500 yards from shore to the intersection with a line projected
261 degrees true from a University of Washington marker on the shore
of Parks Bay, which line passes just south of the unnamed island
at the north end of Parks Bay, thence along said line to the shore
of Shaw Island, including all tidelands and bedlands of Parks Bay
south of said line." Effective
since 3/31/1990.
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| CLICK
IMAGE TO ENLARGE MAP
 
(Note: this is the same map as used for the Friday
Harbor MPA)
Geographic
Statistics
| Area
Type |
Acres |
Hectares |
| Intertidal |
0.54 |
0.22 |
| Subtidal |
453.31 |
183.45 |
| Total |
453.84 |
183.66 |
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Links
to other imagery about this site
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|  The
map at left, extracted from the mid section of the Shaw Island
MPA map, has the locations (A and B) of the photographer from
where the two images below were taken.
Shaw
Island from
position A, looking NW:
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Shaw
Island from
position B, looking S:
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|
| Recreational
Restrictions / Openings |
| Species |
Status |
Comments,
notes... |
| Salmon |
Open |
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| Trout |
Open |
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| Bottomfish |
Closed |
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| Shellfish |
Limited |
Only
crabbing is allowed in Parks Bay. |
| Forage
Fish |
Limited |
Fishing
only for herring is allowed. |
| Unclassified |
Open |
|
| Commercial
Restrictions / Openings |
Species |
Status |
Comments,
notes... |
| Salmon |
Open |
|
| Bottomfish |
Closed |
|
| Shellfish |
Limited |
Only
crabbing is allowed in Parks Bay. |
| Forage
Fish |
Limited |
Fishing
only for herring is allowed. |
| Unclassified |
Closed |
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| Introduction
and Purpose |
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The Shaw Island Marine Preserve is one of the five San
Juan Marine Preserves created in 1990 in conjunction with
the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories
(FHL). WDWF created these partial-take reserves after
FHL requested that the intertidal and subtidal waters
adjacent to their upland biological preserves be protected
from harvesting pressure for bottomfish and invertebrates.
The primary goals of this reserve are to foster stewardship
of unique or important resources or habitats, provide
research and education areas, and provide baseline areas
or reference sites. Research and monitoring is actively
conducted in this reserve by WDFW and UW scientists
and students. |
| Prominent
and unique features |
|
A series of rocky headlands composed of bedrock separated
by a series of grottos makes up the upland portions adjacent
to the Shaw Island Marine Preserve, the largest of WDFW's
marine reserves. The headlands have a narrow intertidal
zone and give rise to steep walls of bedrock that quickly
reach depths of 400 feet (mllw) within the 500 yard offshore
boundary of the reserve. The grottos have moderate slopes
and have stacked boulder fields and coarse sediments of
cobble and gravel. In the photic zone, floating kelp beds
of bull kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana) are found
in the grottos and near the edges of the rocky walls.
Bladed kelps such as Laminaria saccharina and foliose
red algae cover much of the boulders and wall faces. |
| Description
of fish, bird, and mammal resources at the site |
|
The fishes and invertebrates inhabiting the Shaw Island
Marine Reserve are those typical of rocky habitats in
the San Juan Archipelago. In contrast to the Friday Harbor
Marine Preserve, quillback rockfish (Sebastes maliger)
are common at the site. Also common are copper rockfish
(S. caurinus), Puget Sound rockfish (S. emphaeus),
kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus), and lingcod
(Ophiodon elongatus). |
| Programs
in place to manage the site |
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WDFW manages the site as a partially-protected marine
reserve for non-tribal citizens. WDFW regulations prohibit
commercial and recreational fishing for bottomfish and
most classified shellfish. Recreational and commercial
fishing may occur for the harvesting of salmon, trout,
and forage fishes except that commercial fisheries for
forage fishes are limited to Pacific herring (Clupea
harengus pallasi). WDFW regulations allow the taking
of crabs in Parks Bay and the taking of unclassified fish
and invertebrates by recreational fishers.
Most of the upland portions of the site is owned by
the University of Washington through its Friday Harbor
Laboratories (FHL), and this institution can be considered
as co-managers. The preserve was created at the request
of FHL as a place for researchers to study and access
marine organisms in a natural condition. The university
has posted many signs in the upland habitat declaring
it a biological preserve and has an agreement with WDFW
to provide shore-based signs declaring a restricted
fishing zone.
The enforcement of the harvest restrictions is primarily
relegated to the Enforcement Program of WDFW. Information
on the site boundaries and restrictions is found in
WDFW's Sport Fishing Pamphlet and formal regulations
are published at the State of Washington's Administrative
Code available on the state's web site. WDFW is developing
specific pamphlets describing each of its marine reserves.
WDFW scientists conduct occasional surveys of the fish
community during which species are identified, counted,
and measured. Research conducted at the Friday Harbor
Marine Preserve is used to evaluate the effectiveness
of reserves in San Juan Channel. Other scientists have
conducted long-term monitoring of fish populations at
this site and found larger fishes in the reserve since
its designation as a preserve. |
| Issues
of concern |
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The allowance of recreational fishing for salmon and the
subsequent unintentional harvest of other species may
limit the ability of fish populations to increase to natural
levels. Scientific collecting may also have this potential
impact.
Anchoring by recreational boaters and researchers may
cause damage to the substrate and the habitat for bottomfish
and invertebrates.
The remote location of the San Juan Marine Preserves
makes enforcement difficult.
The reserve is located in a heavy-use area by recreational
and commercial passenger vessels. A potential threat
exists from vessel collisions or groundings and subsequent
oil discharge into the reserve. |
| Performance
measures |
| The
continued presence of a diverse fish community.
Increasing
or sustained abundances of copper rockfish and lingcod.
Increasing
and sustained large individual sizes of copper rockfish
and lingcod.
The
increasing or sustained high nesting activity by lingcod. |
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