Hat Island West

Click here for Long-Term trends

Hat Island West is located in the Washington Salish Sea. Hat Island is adjacent to Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and managed by the WA State DNR. The primitive island has limited access due to its steep rocky shoreline and receives very little human use. The area experiences complex tidal currents due to its location adjacent to tidal flats and major channels and is 2.5 km NE of two active oil refineries. 

Hat Island West is dominated by a mixture of consolidated bedrock (metamorphosed serpentinite) and boulders, and the area surrounding the site is comprised of a mixture of consolidated bedrock and boulder fields. This moderately sloping site consists of extremely uneven terrain, containing many deep cracks, large boulders and folds. The primary coastal orientation of this site is west/southwest.

Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at Hat Island West were established in 2009, and are conducted by the Padilla Bay NERR staff. Long-Term monitoring surveys currently target the following species: Chthamalus/Balanus (Acorn Barnacles), Fucus (Northern Rockweed), and Pisaster (Ochre Star). Click here to view Long-Term trends at this site.

For more information about Hat Island West, please contact Heath Bohlmann (hbohlmann@padillabay.gov).