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Sea Cucumber
and Sea Urchin Commercial Harvest Exclusion Zones
- San Juan and Upright Channels -
WAC
220-52-071(1)(a)(i): (sea cucumber) and WAC
220-52-073(1)(b)(ii): (sea urchin):
"San Juan
Channel and Upright Channel within the following lines: South
of a line projected from Flat Point on Lopez Island true west to
Shaw Island; west of a line from Neck Point on Shaw Island to Steep
Point on Orcas Island; south of a line from Steep Point on Orcas
Island to Limestone Point on San Juan Island north of a line from
Flat Point on Lopez Island to the northernmost point of Turn Island
and thence projected true west to San Juan Island." Effective
since 5/11/1972.
The San Juan
Channel Urchin and Cucumber 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 Haro
Strait EZ)
Geographic
Statistics
| Area
Type |
Acres |
Hectares |
| Intertidal |
93.5 |
37.8 |
| Subtidal |
9,922.8 |
4,015.6 |
| Total |
10,016.3 |
4,053.4 |
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Links
to other imagery about this site
- Additional
information from WDFW about commercial:
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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 San Juan Channel Urchin and Cucumber
Reserve contains spectacular underwater habitats located
in busy transportation and tourist corridors. The reserve
is bounded on the west by the east shore of San Juan Island
and to the east by the west shore of Shaw Island. Many
small islands are included in the reserve including Jones,
Yellow, Low, Brown, O’Neal, and McConnell Islands. The
southern portion of the reserve includes the town of Friday
Harbor. The reserve includes the Friday Harbor, Shaw Island,
and Yellow and Low Marine Preserves.
The subtidal habitats include nearshore steep, rocky
slopes and several shallow bays composed of sand and
mud. Mid-channel depths are 200 feet (60 m) in the constricted
southern portion and deepen to the north to depths of
over 500 feet (150 m) as the channel widens. The nearshore
habitat contains steep walls composed of bedrock, steep
slopes composed of boulders, sand and gravel beaches
and slopes in more protected areas, and embayments such
as Parks Bay and Friday Harbor of finer sand and mud.
Much of the deep channel contains coarse sediments such
as gravel and cobble interrupted by rocky ridges, pinnacles,
and outcroppings. Currents are strong in San Juan Channel
which serves as a secondary conduit for outflow from
the Fraser River during the spring and early summer.
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| 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, seaweed, and eelgrass
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 yellowtail rockfishes
inhabit the slopes, pinnacles, and outcroppings. Juvenile
herring, codfishes, and surfperches inhabit nearshore
vegetated areas. The slopes and basins also support macroinvertebrate
communities consisting of red and green sea urchins, red
sea cucumbers, spotted prawns, dock and other shrimp,
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.
The entire reserve is commonly frequented by harbor
seals and northern sea lions, and occasionally visited
by southern resident killer whales and minke whales.
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. |
| 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.
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. A study by WDFW and
University of Washington scientists found urchins occurred
in higher densities and larger sizes in the San Juan Channel
reserve compared to commercially-harvested sites in the
Strait of Juan De Fuca and along the West Coast. 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. Additional study of red sea
urchins by WDFW is planned for early 2005. |
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