Puget Sound Restoration Fund is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for habitat restoration projects around Puget Sound. Since 1999, they have been working to rebuild the native Olympia oyster population. In partnership with NOAA, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Department of Natural Resources, tribes, businesses and community organizations they have so far spread close to 4 million oysters at over 50 experimental sites in Puget Sound.

The goal of the project is to reestablish naturally spawning populations of Olympia oysters on beaches where they once flourished naturally. Humans have harvested Olympia oysters for thousands of years. Washington Tribes often based settlement locations on its harvest. Captain George Vancouver and his crew of explorers observed plentiful numbers of native oysters in 1792, when they first visited Puget Sound. With European colonization, the Olympia oyster supported a large commercial industry in Puget Sound. Unfortunately, over-harvest in the late 1800’s and severe water quality problems in the 1930’s and 1950’s drove most Olympia oyster stocks to depletion.

In 2002, the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee joined forces with Puget Sound Restoration Fund and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe to conduct habitat surveys in Clallam County to identify suitable spots for restoration. Olympia oyster seed was then planted in

• Sequim Bay : Washington Harbor
• Sequim Bay : Blyn
• Dungeness Bay
• Port Angeles Harbor
• Pillar Point

A total of 568,000 Olympia oyster seeds have been spread in Clallam County from 2002-2004. In most locations they are growing well. Olympias have also been planted in Discovery Bay.