Oregon’s nearshore environment is home to a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, algae, plants, and a diversity of other organisms. This region includes a variety of habitats ranging from open waters dotted with islands to submerged high-relief rocky reefs, soft sandy and muddy bottoms, broad expanses of sandy beaches interspersed with rocky headlands, mudflats, sloughs and channels in estuaries.

Oregon Nearshore Species and Habitats are recognized as a distinct ecoregion in the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).  Each one is an integral part of a complex nearshore ecosystem.  The distinct suite of oceanographic features and physical forcing agents that help define the Nearshore ecoregion include the northern portion of the California Current System and the annual seasonal upwelling/downwelling cycle that lead to one of the richest ecosystems on the planet.   Understanding how the nearshore ecosystem is interconnected through food webs, nutrient cycling, habitat usage, ocean currents, atmospheric forcing, and a multitude of other biological, physical, chemical, geological, and human use factors is a priority in the SWAP.

The nearshore environment includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries. These habitats are described in more detail in the Nearshore and Estuaries Key Habitats. A vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, algae, plants, and micro-organisms make their homes here. These habitats and species are integral parts of Oregon’s complex nearshore ecosystem, and are interconnected through food webs, nutrient cycling, habitat usage, and ocean currents.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW’s) Marine Resources Program has identified opportunities for ODFW and others to augment ongoing conservation and management efforts and support the long-term sustainability of nearshore resources in Oregon.  These are organized into Species of Greatest Conservation Need and Species of Greatest Information Need.  View the State Wildlife Action Plan website for more information and to view the list of species and habitats in the Nearshore Ecoregion.