The Willapa Basin covers more than 1000 square miles including the Willapa Bay estuary with over 100 miles of shoreline.   In total, there are roughly 745 streams encompassing over 1470 linear stream miles in the Basin.  The Willapa watershed is the most productive coastal ecosystem remaining in the continental United States. 

Nearly two-thirds of the land in the watershed is commercial forest lands.  Farms make up another seven percent including 1400 acres of bogs that produce virtually all of the state’s harvest of cranberries.  Commercial fishing has always been an integral part of the local economy.  Salmon generally account for more than 90 percent of the finfish caught in Willapa’s waters.  Recently, Chinook and coho harvests have been above historic averages.  However, native chum runs are critically low (Willapa Alliance 1996).

Historically streams of the Willapa region have been productive salmon bearing waters.  This is particularly true of small lowland streams and wetlands.  These streams provide important spawning and rearing habitat for native salmonids.

Lead Entity Strategy

LFA Executive Summary

Limiting Factors Analyses (LFA) with maps