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Sea Cucumber
and Sea Urchin Commercial Harvest Exclusion Zones
- Haro Strait -
WAC
220-52-071(1)(a)(ii): (sea cucumber) and WAC
220-52-073(1)(b)(i): (sea urchin):
"Haro Strait
north of a line projected due west from the southernmost point of
Cattle Point on San Juan Island to the international border and
south of a line projected due west from a point one-quarter mile
north of Lime Kiln Light on San Juan Island to the international
border." Effective since 12/7/1987.
The Haro Strait
Reserve is one of two marine protected areas created as commercial
sea urchin and sea cucumber harvest exclusion zones. The reserve
prohibits non-tribal commercial fishers from harvesting sea urchins
and sea cucumbers. By agreement, treaty tribes also do not harvest
urchins and cucumbers in these areas.
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IMAGE TO ENLARGE MAP
 
(Note: this is the same map as used for the San
Juan Channel EZ)
Geographic
Statistics
| Area
Type |
Acres |
Hectares |
| Intertidal |
274.1 |
110.9 |
| Subtidal |
13,140.0 |
5,317.6 |
| Total |
13,414.1 |
5,428.5 |
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Links
to other imagery about this site
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| Recreational
Restrictions / Openings |
| Species |
Status |
Comments,
notes... |
| Salmon |
Not Applicable |
Note:
this MPA's WACs do not regulate any recreational fishery.
Please check the rulings of other
MPAs for specific information about closures within
those areas. |
| Trout |
Not Applicable |
| Bottomfish |
Not Applicable |
| Shellfish |
Not Applicable |
| Forage
Fish |
Not Applicable |
| Unclassified |
Not Applicable |
| Commercial
Restrictions / Openings |
| Species |
Status |
Comments,
notes... |
| Salmon |
Not Applicable |
Note:
this MPA's WACs do not regulate any commercial fisheries
but sea cucumber and sea urchin. Please check the rulings
of other MPAs for specific information
about closures within those areas. |
| Bottomfish |
Not Applicable |
| Forage
Fish |
Not Applicable |
| Unclassified |
Not Applicable |
| Shellfish |
Limited |
Harvesting
of sea cucumber and sea urchin only is prohibited. |
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| Prominent
and unique features |
| The
area included in the Haro Strait Urchin and Cucumber Reserve
contains some of the most spectacular underwater habitats
in Washington’s inland sea. The reserve is bounded on
the west by the International Border with Canada and to
the east by the west shore of San Juan Island. The subtidal
habitats include nearshore steep, rocky slopes and shallow
banks composed of sand and coarse sediments. At the international
border, Middle Bank is composed of rocky pinnacles, hummocks,
and valleys. Between San Juan Island and Middle Bank is
the deep channel of Haro Strait which extends to a depth
of 928 feet (283 m). Much of the deep basin contains coarse
sediments such as gravel and cobble interrupted by rocky
ridges, pinnacles, and outcroppings. Currents are strong
in Haro Strait and the channel serves as a major conduit
for outflow from the Fraser River. Other major features
include Salmon Bank to the south, False Bay along the
central shore, and prominent headlands including Eagle
Point, Pile Point, and Lime Kiln Point.
The Haro
Strait Urchin and Cucumber Reserve include the False
Bay Marine Preserve and the San Juan County Bottomfish
Recovery Zones at Pile Point and Lime Kiln Point. |
| Description
of fish, bird, and mammal resources at the site |
| The
complex nature of the marine geology provides for a diversity
of habitats including nearshore kelp and seaweed beds,
sand flats, steep rocky habitats, and the deep seafloor
covered with course sediments interrupted by rocky ridges
and outcroppings. This area consistently is identified
as having rich and diverse biological communities. Rocky
habitat species such as lingcod, kelp greenling, and copper,
quillback, Puget Sound, black, and yelloweye rockfishes
inhabit the slopes, pinnacles, and outcroppings. These
areas also support macroinvertebrate communities consisting
of red and green sea urchins, red sea cucumbers, spotted
prawns, scallops, northern horse mussels, sea stars, northern
abalone, and Puget Sound king crabs. The deep basins support
other communities of bottomfish including spotted ratfish,
spiny dogfish, Dover sole, Pacific cod, walleye pollock,
skates, and rex sole.
Haro Strait is a major conduit for migrating salmon,
especially Chinook, coho, and sockeye. Many headlands
and the channel are fished by commercial purse seiners
and gillnetters who target sockeye salmon returning
to the Fraser River.
The entire reserve is utilized by southern resident
killer whales as a primary feeding ground. Harbor and
Dall’s porpoises are also commonly observed in Haro
Strait as is harbor seals, northern sea lions, and occasionally,
an elephant seal. Bald eagles commonly feed in the area
and a variety of seabirds such as rhinoceros auklets,
pigeon guillemonts, commorants and common murres are
often observed in tide rips feeding on forage fishes.
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| Programs
in place to manage the site |
| Regulations
for the commercial non-Indian sea urchin and sea cucumber
fisheries prohibit harvest of sea urchins and sea cucumbers
within the closure areas. The closure areas are also identified
within sea urchin and sea cucumber harvest management
plans between the State and Treaty Tribes. Enforcement
of non-tribal fishing regulations is conducted by WDFW
Marine Enforcement Detachment. |
| Issues
of concern |
| The
urchin and cucumber reserves were created to assure that
a significant portion of the resource is allowed to exhibit
natural characteristics in terms of density, distribution,
size, and age. Urchins are known to limit and structure
kelp forests, and urchin predation by sea otters may enhance
kelp forest growth.
Recruitment of sea urchins is sporadic. There may be
some need for the presence of large urchins to protect
recruiting juvenile urchins from predation by crabs
and fishes.
The urchins and cucumbers may still be the subject of
human disturbance as they or their habitats may be captured
during other fisheries for salmon and bottomfish. Many
derelict fishing nets in the nearshore rocky habitats
may reduce the amount of available habitat for urchins
and cucumbers. Over time, sea otters may re-occupy the
San Juan Archipelago and affect abundances of urchins:
Otters are occasionally spotted off the west San Juan
Island coast. |
| Performance
measures |
| Performance
measures can be based upon urchin and cucumber densities,
sizes, and distribution patterns. Although directed studies
of the effectiveness of the Haro Strait Urchin and Cucumber
Reserve have not yet been conducted, one is planned for
early 2005 on red sea urchins. WDFW marine fish biologists
conduct bottom trawl and quantitative video surveys throughout
the archipelago and can compare urchin densities at stations
within and outside of the urchin and cucumber reserve. |
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