Rocky Shores & Offshore Islands

A scenic view from the rocky intertidal, showing intertidal organisms such as sea stars and algae, overlooking distant offshore islands. — Photo: Florian Graner / Copyright Sealife Productions

Rocky shores are abundant along sections of the Olympic Coast and surround many offshore islands, providing habitat for creatures that can tolerate this dynamic and exposed environment. Visitors are likely to find sea stars, anemones, mussels, and barnacles in addition to numerous seabirds and pinnipeds who feed, nest, or rest along the coastline.

Click on the illustration below to access user-friendly, online tools that allow resource managers, scientists, educators, students, and the public to explore, discover, and summarize ecosystem trends at the sanctuary.

Illustration of a rocky shore habitat, with nine icons representing a variety of ecosystem components including algae, barnacles, mussels, ochre sea stars, colonial seabirds, seals, and sealions. — Illustration of ecosystem components for rocky shores and offshore island habitats. Image: NOAA