Yellow-billed Loon—Photo: Bob Boekelheide

Protection Island Aquatic Reserve Introduction

The Protection Island Aquatic Reserve (PIAR), established by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in 2010, encompasses almost 24,000 acres of state-owned aquatic lands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Protection Island. It extends from the shorelines of the Miller and Quimper Peninsulas to several miles offshore in the eastern Strait. The waters of the PIAR provide a rich ecosystem that supports not only the birds that nest on Protection Island, but also a wide variety of migrant species that flock to the eastern Strait each year. 

When the PIAR was created, many gaps existed in our understanding about how seabirds and marine mammals use the waters of the PIAR. To fill those data gaps, from 2016 to 2021 OPAS volunteers, in cooperation with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and WDNR, conducted monthly boat-based surveys within the PIAR. This report compiles the results of these surveys, providing an in-depth look at the seabird communities that use this region of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.