Olympic Coast

About this sanctuary

Off northwest Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is rich with marine life, diverse habitats, history, and Native American culture. For Native American tribes on the Olympic Coast – the Makah, Quileute, Hoh, and Quinault – use of the waters stretches back centuries. The sanctuary staff and the tribes work together on behalf of sanctuary management to strengthen resources and respect the longstanding relationship of coastal Native Americans and the marine environment.

Twenty-nine species of marine mammals reside in or migrate through the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary including humpback and gray whales, seals, sea lions, and sea otters. The sanctuary provides critical nesting habitats for seabirds of all kinds and an important migratory pathway. Olympic Coast is also among the most productive fish-growing habitats in the world with salmon, halibut, rockfish, hake, herring and sunfish.