The Swinomish Shellfish Company said on social media Dec. 15 that it is pausing oyster harvesting because of historic flooding and poor water quality. The company said harvesting will resume after waters subside and water quality testing is completed. Its oysters are grown and harvested on Fidalgo Island at the north end of Skagit Bay in Puget Sound.
Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries investigated two Burlington farms after fielding reports of employees working in the fields after the December flooding evacuation orders were issued. Initial inquiries found Knutzen Farms did not have workers in an evacuation zone, but Skagit Valley Farm remains under investigation amid claims employees were working during flood evacuations. Burlington was under an immediate evacuation order by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, according to the city’s emergency alert page. Labor and Industries spokesperson Matt Ross told KUOW that mandatory evacuation areas “are not safe for workers” and noted employees have a protected right to refuse dangerous work; complaints can be filed at 1-800-4BE-SAFE.
December’s record-breaking floods are expected to reduce salmon returns in coming years, with the heaviest impacts likely to show up from 2027 through 2029, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Chase Gunnell, WDFW communications manager, told the Cascadia Daily News a large share of Chinook, pink salmon and chum eggs laid this fall in lower reaches of the Nooksack, Skagit and other regional rivers were likely washed out by floodwaters or buried by heavy sediment.
The Skagit Land Trust reported the March Point Heronry is home to 520 great blue heron nests, an increase of 55 nests since 2024. The count was conducted by citizen science volunteers, who tallied nests in 131 trees across the March Point Conservation Area near Anacortes — one of the largest great blue heron colonies in the western United States.
