The nearshore area data were used in the analysis conducted by our Critical Habitat Analytical Review Team (CHART) and they were also used for the economic analysis. For these analyses, we identified 19 nearshore marine units in Puget Sound based on water resource inventory areas defined by the Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE 2004).

These nearshore units are the areas contiguous with the shoreline out to a depth no greater than 30 meters relative to the shoreline. A depth of 30 meters generally coincides with the maximum depth of the photic zone in Puget Sound and provides essential habitat important for juvenile salmonids and their prey. Puget Sound marine areas include South Sound, Hood Canal, and North Sound to the international boundary at the outer extent of the Strait of Georgia, Haro Strait, and the Strait of Juan De Fuca to a straight line extending north from the west end of the Elwha River delta, inclusive.