Puget Sound Intertidal Life
Vulnerable During Low Tides
Who among us can resist heading for our favorite beach during one of the wonderful
low tides we are currently having? Fascinating creatures are everywhere, easy to see and tempting to touch!
Unfortunately, for those unaware of proper intertidal "etiquette", this often means turning
over rocks with little regard for protecting the animals that take refuge under them, poking anemones to see
them squirt water, prying chitons and limpets off rocks, and collecting live
specimens that will be taken home to die. A lot of damage can
quickly occur even if none is intended, and recovery is a slow process that may never be complete.
We recommend that the following "beach
etiquette" be observed during spring and summer low tides:
- The organisms you find belong at the beach. Please leave them there. Do not
collect live specimens.
- Do not walk on the plants and seaweeds. Plants and seaweeds prevent
erosion, provide habitat and cover for intertidal organisms, and are food
for numerous animals and insects.
- Walk at a safe and slow pace. Try to step on bare spots only, not on
animals or marine algae.
- If you turn a rock over, turn it carefully. When finished looking, return
it carefully to its original position so you don't crush anything that lives
under it.
- Kneel quietly by tidepools. Don't walk in them or stick your hands in them.
- After digging for clams, please fill in the holes. The piles of sand on the
beach will smother other organisms
- Look and learn. Don't poke and pry. Pulling creatures away from rocks they
have attached themselves to will often result in their death. Poking an
anemone to watch it squirt water means it will not have the water supply it
needs to help it survive until the next tide covers it.
With our care, intertidal life can flourish!
This page was created on May 18, 2001
