West Coast: Habitat | NOAA Fisheries

West Coast

From killer whales slicing through waves to salmon jumping rapids on their journey home, marine life fills and defines the waters of the West Coast. Fishing the Pacific lifts spirits, feeds families and supports the economies of California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. We harvest close to a billion pounds of seafood, worth nearly $1 billion, each year.

The ocean also shapes our communities and culture, from the colorful heritage of Cannery Row to tribes celebrating the season’s first salmon to return from the sea. Parents teach their kids to fish the West Coast’s 7,000 miles of shore and view wildlife such as elephant seals, sea turtles, and sea lions. Our prolific bays and estuaries nurture Dungeness crabs, oysters, and other delectable shellfish prized around the world.

NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and Southwest Fisheries Science Center work together to apply the latest science to sustainably manage the rich marine resources of the region for generations to come.

Featured News

A scientist wearing a personal flotation device squats in front of a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle typing on a laptop while on the back deck of a research vessel at sea.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution engineer Owen Ceserano downloads images collected from a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle called “Stella” on deck of R/V Hugh R. Sharp. HabCam can be seen in the background. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Zach Fyke

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2024 Winter News Roundup

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Feature Story

NOAA Marine Forensic Lab Completes Rigorous Independent Assessment

West Coast

Person aboard a fishing boat holding a caught coho salmon

Oregon angler Jim Anderson displays a wild Oregon Coast coho salmon that he caught in the popular coastal fishery for the rebounding species. Although still listed under the Endangered Species Act, the wild species is productive enough to support a popular sport fishery. Photo courtesy Lance Kruzic/NOAA Fisheries.

Feature Story

Wild Oregon Coast Coho Salmon Sustain Popular Sportfishing Seasons

West Coast

York Creek flows free after removal of York Dam reopened the upper reaches of the creek to Central California Coast steelhead after nearly a century. Photo by Brian Meux/NOAA Fisheries.

Feature Story

Four Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Retain Threatened Status in Reviews of Recovery Progress

West Coast

Oregon State University’s R/V Elakha serves as the primary research vessel for collecting data along the Newport Hydrographic Line. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Feature Story

Annual Ocean Indicators Point to Varied Conditions for Pacific Salmon

West Coast

Protected Resources

Update to the Western North Pacific Gray Whale Description of the Distinct Population Segment (DPS) in the Code of Federal Regulations Under the Endangered Species Act

West Coast

Protected Resources

Military Readiness Activities in the Hawaii-California Training and Testing (HCTT) Study Area (2025-2032)

Pacific Islands

West Coast

Pacific Islands

West Coast

Fisheries

Fish Aggregating Device Design and Reporting Requirements in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

West Coast

Fisheries

Fishing Restrictions for Tropical Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean for 2025 and Beyond

West Coast

Protected Resources

Incidental Take Authorization: University of California Santa Cruz's Rocky Intertidal Monitoring Along the Coasts of Oregon and California

West Coast

Pacific Hake/Whiting Treaty: Scientific Review Group Meeting

Feb 10, 2025 - Feb 13, 2025

West Coast

2025 Cost Recovery Fee Notice for the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery

West Coast

IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Pacific Halibut Permit Application Period 2025

West Coast

Inseason Action #16 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, South of Cape Falcon (recreational), Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain

West Coast

Inseason Actions #14-15 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, North of Cape Falcon (recreational), between Queets River and Cape Falcon (Westport and Columbia River subareas) and between the U.S./Canada Border and Cape Alava (Neah Bay subarea)

West Coast

Inseason Action #13 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, South of Cape Falcon (recreational), Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain

West Coast

Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program Funding

National

Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities

National

Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants

National

Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants

National

Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants

National

Featured Highlights

Aerial view of the Nisqually River Basin at sunset

Tidal wetlands in the Nisqually River Basin, where restored habitat fosters growth of juvenile salmon and steelhead on their way to the ocean.

Collaboration Offers the Best Hope for Lasting Puget Sound Salmon Solution

West Coast

International Collaboration To Monitor And Respond To Tagged Gray Whale

Alaska

West Coast

Humpback whales commonly lunge out of the water in pursuit of prey. Credit: John Calambokidis/Cascadia Research Collective.

“Blob” Research Reveals Environmental Effects That Shut Down Fishing and Hiked Whale Entanglements

West Coast

Lasker_credit NOAA Fihseries Bob Pitman_IMG_9690 (1).jpg

California Ecosystem Surveys Give Insight on Ocean Changes to Come

West Coast

Northwest Science

We use science to improve people’s lives, save species, and protect ecosystems. Our scientists conduct cutting-edge biological, economic, and oceanographic research. We observe and monitor living marine resources and their environments in the Pacific Northwest and California Current ecosystem. We also study the impacts of environmental variability and climate change on marine ecosystems and fishery socioeconomics. Together with decision-makers at NOAA, other federal agencies, states, and others, we apply this scientific knowledge to make our environment healthier and improve people’s lives and livelihoods.

Research Areas

Surveys

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Southwest Science

Our research encompasses the waters of the California Current and adjacent inland watersheds, bays and estuaries of California. Extending along the U.S. Coast from Canada to Mexico, the California Current is characterized by some of the most dramatic annual, interannual, and decadal environmental variability in the world. These waters support valuable commercial, tribal, and recreational fisheries and are also home to many protected species of marine mammals, turtles, and seabirds.

Our scientists conduct biological, ecological and oceanographic research, observations, and monitoring of the region’s living marine resources and their environments. We also conduct research on the impacts of environmental variability and climate change on marine ecosystems and on fishery and conservation socio-economics. We work with numerous partners and our NOAA Fisheries counterparts—the Northwest, Pacific Islands and Alaska Fisheries Science Centers and the West Coast Regional Office—to provide sound science for domestic and international management decisions. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to ensure that the region’s living marine resources remain at healthy and sustainable levels, as functioning parts of their ecosystems, and continue to enhance the quality of life for the public.

We also conduct research throughout the Pacific Ocean and in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

Research Areas

Research Topics

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Fisheries Overview

We collaborate extensively with the Pacific Fishery Management Council, Native American Indian tribes, and the four states within the region in our management of highly migratory species (e.g., tunas, sharks), coastal pelagic species (e.g., sardine and anchovy), groundfish, and salmon, as well as the habitats upon which they rely.

We participate in the implementation of numerous international treaties and other agreements to sustainably conserve fisheries for cross-boundary species including highly migratory fish, particularly tuna; whiting; halibut, and salmon; and protect marine mammals of mutual interest to nations of the Pacific.

We also ensure that federal ocean fisheries along the West Coast are managed to uphold Native American Tribal treaty fishing rights.

Groundfish

Salmon and Steelhead

Highly Migratory Species

Coastal Pelagic Species

Protected Marine Life

We conserve and restore marine resources on the West Coast. Under the Endangered Species Act, we develop protections, designate critical habitat, implement recovery, and authorize scientific research permits for threatened and endangered species. We also manage and conserve marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and coordinate and support the marine mammal stranding networks. Our work covers a vast geography, including the inland and coastal waters of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California.

Habitat protection and restoration are critical components of species recovery and conservation. We work with partners to protect and restore habitats necessary for species recovery, using an ecosystem-based approach that considers benefits, interactions, and trade-offs for multiple species.

Endangered Species Conservation

Marine Mammal Protection

Pacific Salmon Recovery

National Topics

Habitat Overview

We help other federal agencies conserve habitat for protected species and for essential fish habitat to support commercial, tribal, and recreational fisheries. We review federal proposals for land and water development to make sure these activities do not further degrade habitat or harm protected species. We also provide technical assistance and funding to support restoration activities that improve habitat. With our partners, we are working on hundreds of projects to protect and restore vital habitat for West Coast fish and wildlife populations.

Conserving Habitat

Fish Passage

Habitat Consultations and Resources

Habitat Restoration

Species Overview

On the West Coast and in the watersheds of Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho, we manage commercial and recreational fisheries for more than 100 species of salmon, groundfish, coastal pelagics such as anchovy and sardine, and highly migratory species such as billfish, sharks, and tunas. We work to recover and conserve threatened and endangered marine and anadromous species, as well as manage and conserve marine mammals. Our Science Centers conduct cutting-edge biological, economic, and oceanographic research, as well as observations and monitoring of living marine resources and their environments. Below are links to learn about a few of our West Coast species. You can also see a list of all species managed on the West Coast.

West Coast

West Coast

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California Sea Lion

West Coast Coastal Pelagic Species

Gray Whale

West Coast Groundfish

Killer Whale

Leatherback Turtle

North Pacific Swordfish

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Pacific Salmon and Steelhead

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