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Volunteers conducting Olympia oyster monitoring in Fidalgo Bay (photo credit: Paul Dinnel)

Olympia Oyster Restoration

Marine Life

Olympia Oyster Restoration Story Map

The Olympia Oyster Restoration project is one of Skagit MRC's biggest success stories. A Story Map for the Olympia Restoration project was created to help tell our story and provide more detailed information on this important MRC project, including historical context, reseeding efforts, challenges, surprises and the current success of this program. The Story Map was built from the MRC's Shoreline Needs Assessment performed in 2024, which resulted in a new web-based interactive tool to better understand the health of Skagit shorelines. This interactive tool includes, not only identification of new high priority nearshore restoration needs, but also provides information on past and current MRC shoreline projects, including the Olympia Oyster Restoration project. Check it out at the link below!

Olympia Oyster Restoration Story Map
Volunteers monitoring Olympia oysters in Fidalgo Bay (photo credit: Paul Dinnel)

Olympia Oyster Restoration

Project Lead:  Paul Dinnel

 

Project Partners:  Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Samish Indian Nation, Northwest Straits Foundation

 

Project Years: 2002 - Present

 

Project Overview:  The native oyster restoration project began in 2002 in Fidalgo Bay to establish several sustainable native oyster beds. Since then, oyster habitat has been enhanced through the distribution of oyster shell and several plantings of native oyster seed have occurred. The survival rate, growth, and natural recruitment have been deemed high and additional natural recruitment has been seen in Fidalgo Bay at areas outside the seed planting sites. Baywide native oyster population surveys take place every 5 years. The estimated abundance of Olympia oysters in Fidalgo Bay has steadily increased from around 50,000 oysters in 2002 to over approximately 5.5 million oysters in 2023.   

Olympia Oyster Restoration