Shoreline recertified as a Salmon-Safe City

On June 21, 2024, Shoreline achieved recertification as a Salmon-Safe city. 

Shoreline is Washington’s first Salmon-Safe municipality, and only the second certified city in the nation after Portland, Oregon. The recertification process began in late 2023.

Salmon-Safe, the Oregon-based environmental certification nonprofit dedicated to restoring water quality in West Coast salmon watersheds, closely aligns with Shoreline’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

"Being recertified as a salmon-safe city is a big accomplishment for Shoreline,” stated Shoreline Mayor Chris Roberts. 

“It is a testament to our community’s commitment to preserving Puget Sound and being good stewards of our natural environment. Salmon are representatives of the larger ecosystem. Without a healthy salmon population, we don’t have a healthy Puget Sound, and that impacts every one of us.”

For the citywide certification, staff worked with the Salmon-Safe Science Team for over eight months to develop the conditions for certification. This included the Salmon-Safe team evaluating City plans, programs, and procedures; interviewing city staff; and visiting city operations and sites across the city. 

The Science Team identified nine conditions the City must meet as part of the recertification.

“The third-party audit by our independent science team shows that the City of Shoreline is on the cutting edge of cities–of any size–in taking a holistic approach to its watershed,” said Ella Sandquist, Salmon-Safe Puget Sound Director. 

“Taken together, the city’s ongoing Salmon-Safe actions represent an integrated approach and meaningful commitment to the health of Puget Sound.”

The City will have five years to fulfill the nine conditions, which include developing specific GIS analysis for stormwater treatment; implementing a stream monitoring program; enhancing salmon-friendly habitat restoration efforts; and implementing bioretention projects along Aurora.

This is another example of Shoreline demonstrating regional leadership by contributing to the health of Puget Sound waterways and the salmon and orca that depend on them. It is the hope of the City and Salmon-Safe that other jurisdictions will soon follow suit.