Immediately fund acquisition and restoration of nearshore habitat to increase the abundance of forage fish for salmon sustenance.

Action 1

Provide funding to projects focused on quickly restoring nearshore habitats.

The Governor and Legislature should fully fund projects by the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration, Washington Coast Restoration and Resiliency Initiative, Salmon Recovery Funding Board, and Estuary and Salmon Restoration Programs that address nearshore habitat and that were approved during the 2018 grant round.

• The 2023 capital budget allocated funds for grants that support this recommendation:
  • $59.2 million for Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Program
  • $14.3 million for Puget Sound Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program
  • $20 million in state funding and up to $50 million from the federal Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund for Salmon Recovery Funding Board grants.
• In 2022 and 2023, $39 million was provided to the Duckabush Estuary project in Hood Canal, which will improve salmon passage and habitat in the estuary by raising the roadbed and replacing older bridges on U.S. Route 101.
• In 2019, the State partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and allocated $3 million to help restore the Duckabush estuary as part of the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project initiative.

More details may be found in the progress reports in the resources library.