West Coast

From killer whales slicing through waves to salmon jumping rapids on their journey home, marine life fills and defines the waters of the West Coast. Fishing the Pacific lifts spirits, feeds families and supports the economies of California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. We harvest close to a billion pounds of seafood, worth nearly $1 billion, each year.

The ocean also shapes our communities and culture, from the colorful heritage of Cannery Row to tribes celebrating the season’s first salmon to return from the sea. Parents teach their kids to fish the West Coast’s 7,000 miles of shore and view wildlife such as elephant seals, sea turtles, and sea lions. Our prolific bays and estuaries nurture Dungeness crabs, oysters, and other delectable shellfish prized around the world.

NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and Southwest Fisheries Science Center work together to apply the latest science to sustainably manage the rich marine resources of the region for generations to come.

Featured News

A black and white Southern Resident killer whale leaping out of the water. The fin of another whale is visible and a boat and mountains are in the background.

Southern resident killer whales. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Candice Emmons

Feature Story

Workshop Targets High-Tech Ways to Assess Endangered Whale Health

Alaska

New England/Mid-Atlantic

Southeast

West Coast

small purple flowers in front of a piece of driftwood on a beach.

Volunteers are activated to help with efforts that enhance native beach dune vegetation. Shown here: Baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii). (Credit: The Bay Foundation)

Feature Story

Southern California Restoration: NOAA and Partners Lead Coastal Recovery 10 Years After Refugio Oil Spill

West Coast

A minke whale carcass lies on a rocky beach. There are several lines to secure it in place while responders take measurements and samples.

A complete necropsy of a minke whale on Blakely Island, Washington. The necropsy revealed injuries—including severe bruising and broken ribs and vertebrae—consistent with a vessel strike. Credit: The Whale Museum

Feature Story

2022 and 2023 Combined Report of Marine Mammal Strandings in the United States

Alaska

New England/Mid-Atlantic

Pacific Islands

Southeast

West Coast

National

Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359

Feature Story

NOAA Announces Confirmed Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2023

Alaska

New England/Mid-Atlantic

Pacific Islands

Southeast

West Coast

National

A person with short white hair wearing all black squats next to a sea lion. The sea lion is laying on the floor and the person is measuring it with a tool similar to calipers. Medical equipment is in the background on the black counters above white cabinets.

Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute staff measure the thickness of the sea lion's blubber in preparation for an x-ray. Photo courtesy Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute

Feature Story

California Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Sea Lion Beating

West Coast

Fisheries

Availability of Snake River Fall-run Chinook salmon HGMPs and associated addendums open for Public Comment

West Coast

Protected Resources

Pierce County and Public Works Flood Risk Reduction Structures Maintenance and Operations Habitat Conservation Plan

West Coast

Fisheries

Amendment 33 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan: 2025-2026 Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Management Measures

West Coast

Protected Resources

Incidental Take Authorization: Oregon Department of Transportation’s Yaquina Bay Dolphin Replacement Project in Newport, Oregon

West Coast

Protected Resources

Incidental Take Authorization: Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Geophysical Surveys in the Cascadia Subduction Zone of the Northeast Pacific Ocean

West Coast

Pacific Hake/Whiting Treaty: U.S. - Canada JMC Virtual Meeting, September 15, 2025

Sep 15, 2025

West Coast

Inseason Action #11 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, North of Cape Falcon (Recreational), Columbia River Subarea

West Coast

Inseason Action #10 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, North of Cape Falcon (commercial)

West Coast

Inseason Action #9 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, North of Cape Falcon (commercial)

West Coast

Inseason Action #6-8 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, South of Cape Falcon (recreational), OR/CA border to the U.S./Mexico border, and North of Cape Falcon (commercial), U.S./Canada border to Cape Falcon, Oregon

West Coast

Inseason Action #5 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, North of Cape Falcon (commercial), U.S./Canada border to Cape Falcon, Oregon

West Coast

Notice of Funding Opportunity: New Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Marketing

National

Fiscal Year 2024–2026: Broad Agency Announcement

National

Featured Highlights

Aerial view of the Nisqually River Basin at sunset

Tidal wetlands in the Nisqually River Basin, where restored habitat fosters growth of juvenile salmon and steelhead on their way to the ocean.

Collaboration Offers the Best Hope for Lasting Puget Sound Salmon Solution

West Coast

International Collaboration To Monitor And Respond To Tagged Gray Whale

Alaska

West Coast

Humpback whales commonly lunge out of the water in pursuit of prey. Credit: John Calambokidis/Cascadia Research Collective.

“Blob” Research Reveals Environmental Effects That Shut Down Fishing and Hiked Whale Entanglements

West Coast

Lasker_credit NOAA Fihseries Bob Pitman_IMG_9690 (1).jpg

California Ecosystem Surveys Give Insight on Ocean Changes to Come

West Coast

Northwest Science

We use science to improve people’s lives, save species, and protect ecosystems. Our scientists conduct cutting-edge biological, economic, and oceanographic research. We observe and monitor living marine resources and their environments in the Pacific Northwest and California Current ecosystem. We also study the impacts of environmental variability and climate change on marine ecosystems and fishery socioeconomics. Together with decision-makers at NOAA, other federal agencies, states, and others, we apply this scientific knowledge to make our environment healthier and improve people’s lives and livelihoods.

Research Areas

Surveys

Research Topics

Southwest Science

Our research encompasses the waters of the California Current and adjacent inland watersheds, bays and estuaries of California. Extending along the U.S. Coast from Canada to Mexico, the California Current is characterized by some of the most dramatic annual, interannual, and decadal environmental variability in the world. These waters support valuable commercial, tribal, and recreational fisheries and are also home to many protected species of marine mammals, turtles, and seabirds.

Our scientists conduct biological, ecological and oceanographic research, observations, and monitoring of the region’s living marine resources and their environments. We also conduct research on the impacts of environmental variability and climate change on marine ecosystems and on fishery and conservation socio-economics. We work with numerous partners and our NOAA Fisheries counterparts—the Northwest, Pacific Islands and Alaska Fisheries Science Centers and the West Coast Regional Office—to provide sound science for domestic and international management decisions. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to ensure that the region’s living marine resources remain at healthy and sustainable levels, as functioning parts of their ecosystems, and continue to enhance the quality of life for the public.

We also conduct research throughout the Pacific Ocean and in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

Research Areas

Research Topics

Stock Assessments

Resources

Fisheries Overview

We collaborate extensively with the Pacific Fishery Management Council, Native American Indian tribes, and the four states within the region in our management of highly migratory species (e.g., tunas, sharks), coastal pelagic species (e.g., sardine and anchovy), groundfish, and salmon, as well as the habitats upon which they rely.

We participate in the implementation of numerous international treaties and other agreements to sustainably conserve fisheries for cross-boundary species including highly migratory fish, particularly tuna; whiting; halibut, and salmon; and protect marine mammals of mutual interest to nations of the Pacific.

We also ensure that federal ocean fisheries along the West Coast are managed to uphold Native American Tribal treaty fishing rights.

Groundfish

Salmon and Steelhead

Highly Migratory Species

Coastal Pelagic Species

Protected Marine Life

We conserve and restore marine resources on the West Coast. Under the Endangered Species Act, we develop protections, designate critical habitat, implement recovery, and authorize scientific research permits for threatened and endangered species. We also manage and conserve marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and coordinate and support the marine mammal stranding networks. Our work covers a vast geography, including the inland and coastal waters of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California.

Habitat protection and restoration are critical components of species recovery and conservation. We work with partners to protect and restore habitats necessary for species recovery, using an ecosystem-based approach that considers benefits, interactions, and trade-offs for multiple species.

Endangered Species Conservation

Marine Mammal Protection

Pacific Salmon Recovery

National Topics

Habitat Overview

We help other federal agencies conserve habitat for protected species and for essential fish habitat to support commercial, tribal, and recreational fisheries. We review federal proposals for land and water development to make sure these activities do not further degrade habitat or harm protected species. We also provide technical assistance and funding to support restoration activities that improve habitat. With our partners, we are working on hundreds of projects to protect and restore vital habitat for West Coast fish and wildlife populations.

Conserving Habitat

Fish Passage

Habitat Consultations and Resources

Habitat Restoration

Species Overview

On the West Coast and in the watersheds of Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho, we manage commercial and recreational fisheries for more than 100 species of salmon, groundfish, coastal pelagics such as anchovy and sardine, and highly migratory species such as billfish, sharks, and tunas. We work to recover and conserve threatened and endangered marine and anadromous species, as well as manage and conserve marine mammals. Our Science Centers conduct cutting-edge biological, economic, and oceanographic research, as well as observations and monitoring of living marine resources and their environments. Below are links to learn about a few of our West Coast species. You can also see a list of all species managed on the West Coast.

West Coast

West Coast

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Northwest Science

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Species Overview

California Sea Lion

West Coast Coastal Pelagic Species

Gray Whale

West Coast Groundfish

Killer Whale

Leatherback Turtle

North Pacific Swordfish

Pacific Bluefin Tuna

Pacific Halibut

Pacific Salmon and Steelhead

Pacific Whiting

White Abalone

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Species News