Strategies for restoring and developing fish habitats in the Strait of Georgia—Puget Sound Inland Sea, northeast Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Rehabilitation and development of fish habitats are potential techniques for achieving sustainable development in coastal seas. Recent projects in the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound to examine this possibility have conducted trials or experiments with sedge marshes ( Carex lyngbyei) (26 sites) and eelgrass beds ( Zostera marina) (14 sites). Some studies have been appropriate for examining the potential compensation of wetland losses from industrial developments, but many were experimental and small scale. Larger scale projects and longer term monitoring are needed to confirm that the policy goals of no net loss or net gain in fish habitat can be met using these techniques.