Cherry Point was once one of the most productive Pacific herring spawning areas in the Pacific Northwest. A critical link in the marine food web, herring belong to a group of fish known as “forage fish” because so many predators depend upon them for food. Pacific herring feed on plankton and in turn are devoured by larger fish, birds and marine mammals. 

 

The shorelines of Cherry Point are constantly in motion. Naturally-eroding bluffs feed new sediment to beaches. Intense waves and winds shift sediment around the base of the bluffs and along the beach. Trees and overhanging plants provide nutrients and safe haven to aquatic species. These beaches also support spawning surf smelt, a small fish that provides important forage for salmon and wintering seabirds.

A Citizen Stewardship Committee organizes volunteer surveys of intertidal species and marine birds at Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve. The committee also works to educate others about nearshore ecology, the Aquatic Reserve's condition, and planning issues that affect the reserve. For volunteer opportunities and more information on how to get involved visit the Cherry Point committee.

• 2018 Intertidal Monitoring Report and Appendices
• 2018 Bird Survey Report and Appendices
• 2013-2015 Intertial Monitoring
• 2014 Intertidal Monitoring
• 2013 Intertidal Monitoring
• 2013-2014 Bird Survey

Explore science and monitoring projects conducted on the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve in the Aquatic Reserves StoryMap Collection. In addition, the Aquatic Reserves Program Data Viewer is an interactive map with monitoring data collected by the Aquatic Reserves Program and Citizen Stewardship Committees. Click here to view the interactive map.

• Cherry Point Herring Acoustic/Trawl Survey 2011 (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2011) 
• Pacific Herring Test Development and Validation (Washington State Department of Ecology, 2011) 
• Cherry Point Vessel Traffic Analysis (VTRA) report (Dr. Johan René van Dorp, Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, 2011) 
• Environmental Damage Assessment of Refinery Equipment Recovery at Gulf Road, Whatcom County (AECOM Environment, 2011) 

The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Implementation Committee is a stakeholder advisory group that provides guidance on management priorities and helps implement management actions. 

 

Management Plan 2023 Update Documents (revised March 2023)

 

Implementation Committee Meeting Summaries and Presentations
November 17, 2020	Meeting Agenda Meeting Summary
June 18, 2020	Meeting Summary
February 13, 2020	Meeting Agenda Meeting Summary
November 7, 2019	Meeting Agenda Meeting Summary
June 13, 2019	Meeting Summary
November 8, 2018	Meeting Summary Cherry Point Herring Update  (Adam Lindquist) Larval Crab Monitoring  (Evelyn Brown)
June 12, 2018	Meeting Summary
November 17, 2017	Meeting Summary Cherry Point Herring Update (Todd Sandell) 2015 Vessel Traffic Risk Assessment (Brian Kirk) DNR Aquatic Land Management Update (Dennis Clark & Joelene Boyd)
June 21, 2017	Meeting Summary Washington State Ballast Water Program (Allen Pleus) DNR Aquatic Land Management Update (Dennis Clark & Joelene Boyd)
November 17, 2016	MeetingSummary
April 27, 2016	Meeting Summary
October 12, 2015	Meeting Summary
March 3, 2015	Meeting Summary
April 16, 2014	Meeting Summary
July 17, 2013	Meeting Summary
January 29, 2013	Pacific Herring Test Development and Validation (Randall Marshall)
October 23, 2012	Mussel Watch Pilot Expansion Study  (Jim West)
June 12, 2012	Hydrodynamics and Coastal Change, Pt Whitehorn (Eric Grossman)