Tulalip Tribes, NOAA remove Snohomish River Estuary levee for salmon recovery

The Tulalip Tribes and NOAA Fisheries partnered to remove 1,500 linear feet of levee in the Snohomish River Estuary on Friday, Aug. 28, in order to reopen 350 acres of wetlands to threatened salmon and other species.

In a news release, NOAA reports the Snohomish River Estuary is important for wild Puget Sound Chinook salmon recovery

"This breach today represents one of the best opportunities in our region to make a real difference to salmon populations in Puget Sound. We have all the right ingredients in Snohomish River estuary ' involved partners, an agreed upon restoration plan, ready projects across the entire basin, and the scientific understanding of how the system works,GÇ¥ said Jennifer Steger, supervisor of the NW & Alaska Region of the NOAA Restoration Center, in the news release. "We are restoring ecosystem processes of hydrology, energy and nutrients, chemistry, and food web that will benefit robust fish populations and strong ecological communitiesGÇ¥

Smith Island and Blue Heron Slough have both been identified as current and potential future restoration sites.

The Tulalip Tribes and NOAA Fisheries remove 1,500 linear feet of levee in the Snohomish River Estuary on Friday, Aug. 28, in order to reopen 350 acres of wetlands to threatened salmon and other species.