After a wobble in the moon's orbit resulted in historic low tides in Olympia this week, the Puget Sound Estuarium is emphasizing the importance of safe beach etiquette to protect the Puget Sound's sealife.
The Estuarium's Program and Volunteer Coordinator Clarissa Felling said the historic low tides exposed many creatures that had never been out of the water before. Felling said she went out to the Woodard Bay Conservation Area on Henderson Inlet during the low tide and was able to walk far under the old trestle there, seeing animals such as moon snails, sea stars, anemones and sea slugs.
However, she said that some of these sea creatures were never meant to be exposed and the extremely low tides create issues for their survival.
"Many of these animals like a certain spot on the beach," Felling said. "They can only handle being exposed for so long. You don't see large sea stars up near the top of the beaches because they need to be low."
Even without the wobble in the moon's orbit, Olympia and the Puget Sound have always experienced very low tides at the summer solstice.
Felling mentioned the effect of the low tides last summer, when historic high temperatures severely impacted wildlife and plants. She said many sea creatures did not survive being out in the hot sun for so long, and that many exposed animals near Hood Canal fell prey to birds during their exposure.
"As the water goes out, the animals need to retain water so that they can survive outside before the tide goes back in," Felling said. "So, when we had those exceptionally hot days, those animals didn't make it, and we saw lots of shells washed ashore — more than normal in previous years."
Felling said there is nothing humans can do about the wobble in the moon's orbit and its impact on the tides, but she said beach-goers can practice safe beach etiquette, especially when interacting with sea creatures that are not exposed during normal low tides.
"If you are out exploring the beaches, make sure that you are not hurting the animals out there," she said. "The animals are in a stressful environment when they are exposed, and so making sure you're not adding more stress to them while they're exposed is a great way for us to make sure they have a more likely chance of surviving until the tide returns."
