The Salish Sea, showing the Strait of Georgia near centre, the Strait of Juan de Fuca below, Puget Sound at the lower right, Johnstone Strait at the extreme upper left, and the Pacific Ocean at lower left. Sediment from the Fraser River is visible as a greenish plume in the Strait of Georgia.

The Salish Sea is the intricate network of coastal waterways located between the south-western tip of the Canadian province of British Columbia, and the north-western tip the U.S. state of Washington. Its major bodies of water are the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound. It reaches from Desolation Sound at the north end of the Strait of Georgia to Oakland Bay at the head of Hammersley Inlet at the south end of Puget Sound. The inland waterways of the Salish Sea are partially separated from the open Pacific Ocean (a pelagic zone) by Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula, and are thus partially shielded from Pacific Ocean storms. Major port cities on the Salish Sea include Seattle, Vancouver, Tacoma, Bellingham, and Victoria.

Definition[link]

The Salish Sea includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Strait of Georgia, and Puget Sound, and all their connecting channels and adjoining waters, such as Haro Strait, Rosario Strait, Bellingham Bay, and the waters around and between the San Juan Islands in the U.S. state of Washington and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada.^[1] The western boundary is the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, defined as a line between Cape Flattery and Carmanah Point. The southern boundary is the southern end of Puget Sound. The northern boundary reaches just beyond the northern end of the Strait of Georgia to include waters that experience the floodstream or tidal surge from the south: Discovery Passage south of Seymour Narrows, Sutil Channel south of Penn Islands, Lewis Channel (between Cortes and West Redonda Island), Waddington Channel (between West Redonda and East Redonda Island), and Pendrell Sound, Desolation Sound, and the southern portion of Homfray Channel (between East Redonda Island and the mainland). These boundaries were based on the 2002 "Georgia Basin–Puget Sound Ecosystem Indicators Report".^[2] The total extent of the Salish Sea is about 18,000 square kilometres (6,900 sq mi).^[1]

History[link]

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Geology[link]

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Name[link]

Origin of the term[link]

The first known use of the term Salish Sea was in 1988, when marine biologist Bert Webber from Bellingham, Washington, created the name for the combined waters in the region with the intent to supplement the Georgia Strait, Puget Sound, and Strait of Juan de Fuca waterway names.^{[citation needed]} The adoption of the term, he said, would raise consciousness about taking care of the region's waters and ecosystems. Webber's efforts are credited with the official recognition of the term in the U.S. and Canada, although Webber's original proposal also recommended the removal of the terms Georgia Strait, Puget Sound, and Strait of Juan de Fuca from official recognition.

Coast Salish peoples[link]

Coast Salish is a relatively new term used to describe the groups of indigenous peoples who live in southwest British Columbia and northwest Washington state along the Salish Sea and share a common linguistic and cultural origin. The Coast Salish are seen as one of the main cultural and linguistic branches of a larger group known as Salishan or Salish. There are five recognized divisions of the Salish language family, with Coast Salish and Interior Salish being the primary two. The Salish family consists of 23 separate languages.^[3] European and American explorers first encountered Salishan people along the Pacific Northwest coast in the late 18th century. The first detailed information was obtained by the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806.^[4] The term "Salish" was originally applied only to the Interior Salish Flathead tribe living in the region of Flathead Lake, Montana.^[4][5] By the mid-20th century it had been extended to cover all people speaking a similar language.^[6] The Flathead Nation continues to refer to their language and culture as Salish.^[7][8] A variant name for Flathead Lake is "Selish Lake".^[9] The name Salish Sea was coined only in the late 20th century. There is no overarching title for this area or even a commonly shared name for any of the waterbodies in any of the Coast Salish languages.

The waterways of the Salish Sea were important trade routes for the Coast Salish and they remain a source of food and other resources for the indigenous peoples. The basin includes territory of the Northern Wakashan Kwakwaka'wakw and Southern Wakashan peoples (the Nuu-chah-nulth, Makah, and Ditidaht) and, formerly, that of the Chimakum (a Chimakuan people related to the Quileute who no longer exist as recognizable group, having been wiped out by the Suquamish and others in the 19th century).^[10]

Other names[link]

The region encompassing these waterways is or was also known variously as the Georgia-Puget or Puget-Georgia Basin, or in the singular as the Georgia Depression, the Georgia Basin or Puget Sound et al. The Canadian half of the region has also often been referred to as the Gulf of Georgia, a term which encompasses the Strait of Georgia and all other waters peripheral to it, as well as to the communities lining its shores or on its islands. Like the term "Puget Sound," the terms "Georgia Strait" and "Gulf of Georgia" describe the general region as well as the body of water.

Official recognition[link]

In August 2009, the British Columbia Geographical Names Office approved a resolution recommending that the Geographical Names Board of Canada adopt the name Salish Sea contingent on approval by the United States Board on Geographic Names.^[11][12] The name was endorsed by the Washington State Board on Geographic Names in late October, 2009.^[13] It was approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names on November 12, 2009,^[14] and by British Columbia authorities^[who?] in February 2010.^{[citation needed]}

Opposition[link]

Opponents to the Salish Sea designation assert that it is really a series of interconnected straits, sounds and inlets. Others oppose it for historic reasons and question the validity of the term "Salish".^{[15][dead link]}

Notes and references[link]

Bibliography[link]

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Salish Sea
• "Salish Sea". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/53200.html. 
• "Georgia Basin Action Plan - Coast Salish Sea Initiative". Georgia Basin Action Plan. Pacific & Yukon Regional, Environment Canada, Government of Canada. 2005-10-17, updated. http://www.pyr.ec.gc.ca/georgiabasin/CoastSalish_e.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-21. 
• "Part One: Where in the world is the Salish Sea?". Washington. estuaries.gov. 2004-08-04, revised. http://estuaries.gov/Paddila2.html. Retrieved 2006-05-21. 
• "Salish Sea" proposed name for waters Washington, B.C. share
• Washington State Board on Geographic Names adds Salish Sea to region's watery lexicon

External links[link]

• Kwiaht Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea

Coordinates: 48°21′N 123°11′W / 48.35°N 123.183°W / 48.35; -123.183