Component of 2006 Ala Spit Protection Assessment (05-1491)

Restoration and protection of Ala Spit and Lagoon was identified as a priority in the Skagit Chinook Recovery Plan (page 214 in SRSC & WDFW 2005) because of its importance to early rearing of wild fry migrant Chinook salmon originating from the Skagit River. Island County has sponsored a feasibility study to identify restoration and protection actions that could be taken in the Ala Spit or Lagoon area, and in its adjacent drift cell. The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) Research Program is responsible for presenting a report to Island County through its consultant, Herrera Environmental Consulting Inc., describing the nearshore fish assemblage using fish data collected during late winter through spring of 2007 by beach seining. This report also includes updated information from other SRSC studies that aids understanding of juvenile salmon and the nearshore fish assemblage at Ala Spit and Lagoon, including: 1) Juvenile salmon migration pathways from the Skagit River to shorelines in northern Skagit Bay 2) Annual variability in juvenile salmon populations found in nearshore habitats from Skagit Chinook monitoring