Category: Assessment Reports

Back to all Assessment Reports This report provides information on early efforts in the emerging field of tidal swamp restoration, including documentation of 14 active tidal swamp restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest. The report provides an overview of the ecological importance of tidal swamps, the importance of restoring these valuable habitats, and unique challenges…

Back to all Assessment Reports This report documents the current state of knowledge of U.S. West Coast nearshore habitat use by fish assemblages and select marine invertebrates. It reports on the compilation of standardized spatial data on nearshore habitats within defined nearshore zones. It is designed to provide a big picture of fish habitats throughout…

Back to all Assessment Reports In 2020, PMEP commissioned a report to synthesize eelgrass restoration project successes along the U.S. West Coast to identify best practices for eelgrass restoration and mitigation. The authors of the report reviewed and synthesized data from 51 eelgrass restoration (non-mitigation and mitigation) projects from California, Oregon, and Washington. They identified…

Back to all Assessment Reports The Pacific Marine & Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP) identified a need to update its recent assessment of tidal wetland loss (TWL) to include areas where tidal connectivity and inundation have been restored. PMEP mapped 127 tidal reconnection projects across the West Coast, identifying 8,085 hectares (19,978 acres) of restored…

Back to all Assessment Reports Eelgrass, a type of marine flowering plant, can serve as a biological indicator of ecosystem health and is threatened by numerous human activities. This report provides a synthesis of the state of scientific knowledge of U.S. West Coast eelgrass habitats and the ecosystem services they provide, as well as identifies…

Back to all Assessment Reports The assessment addressed the status of estuarine use along the West Coast for 15 “focal” fish and crustacean species. These species’ life histories span all or a significant portion of West Coast estuaries. The overall objectives of the assessment was to synthesize the available data into a common format allowing…

Back to all Assessment Reports This report expands upon previous efforts summarizing juvenile use of estuaries and synthesizes the existing geospatial data and information on the nursery role of estuaries for a group of ecologically and economically important fish and invertebrate species. It aims to synthesize: 1) important and emerging threats to the nursery functions…

Back to all Assessment Reports PMEP developed a comprehensive inventory of U.S. West Coast estuaries. PMEP and its partners compiled information from previous inventories and also included additional estuaries identified through National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and aerial imagery. PMEP developed this inventory and geodatabase with the understanding that although this is a much needed first…