Researchers at FHL should collect responsibly: obtaining all required permissions and permits, minimizing disturbance to environments, limiting collections to the species and numbers necessary for their research, and reporting their collections. For work conducted at FHL, it is expected that study organisms originate from area waters. If a researcher proposes to work with species not readily found in the waters of San Juan County and Cypress Island, they must receive prior permission from the FHL Director to bring the organisms to FHL, secure the necessary permits from relevant agencies, and follow all required procedures for minimizing the risk of spreading pathogens or invasive species (scroll to the bottom for further information).
General Collecting Guidelines
- Review the relevant section at the bottom of this page (for collecting inside and outside of the Marine Biological Preserve), and determine if you will need to obtain permission or secure permits for collecting or transporting your organisms. Note that some permits can take up to two months to process.
- Be sure you will not be working in another scientist’s field site, where your collecting could destroy their studies. Consult with Megan Dethier about current sites of ongoing research. Also, if you yourself have sensitive field sites that should not be disturbed by others, let Megan know.
- Minimize the number of animals you need to collect by using them efficiently in your research.
- Collecting could reduce abundance of animals that have long adult life, low recruitment, or highly restricted distributions. Please be especially mindful of these concerns when collecting the following species:
- Calliostoma ligatum (a snail often used for developmental studies)
- Cryptochiton stelleri (Giant chiton)
- Kaburakia excelsa (Giant flatworm)
- Mytilus californianus (California mussel)
- Phoronis vancouverenis (clumps of phoronid worms)
- Pisaster ochraceus (Purple seastar)
- Pollicipes polymerus (Goose neck barnacle)
- Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Purple sea urchin)
- Tubularia spp. (a hydroid often used for developmental studies)
- several species of large sea anemones
- Regardless of where they are collected, the following species with significance to commercial aquaculture or of conservation concern may require a permit from Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW). If you plan to collect these species, contact WDFW well in advance to ask about requirements: shellfishpermits@dfw.wa.gov, (360) 316-6898).
- Asteriidae family (sea stars)
- Carcinus maenas (European green crab)
- Clinocaridum nuttallii (Nuttall’s/Heart cockle)
- Haliotis kamtschatkana (Pinto abalone)*
- Magallana/Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oyster)
- Magallana/Crassostrea sikamea (Kumomoto oyster)
- Mytilus galloprovincialis (Mediterranean mussel)
- Ocinebrellus inornatus (Japanese oyster drill)
- Ostrea edulis (European flat oyster)
- Ostrea lurida (Olympia oyster)
- Panopea generosa (Geoduck clam)
- Urosalpinx cinerea (Eastern oyster drill)
- Venerupis philippinarum (Manila clam)
- While collecting, minimize your impact: return rocks that have been turned over to their original position; refill holes that have been dug, leaving behind neither holes nor mounds; and avoid damage from trampling.
- If your research will be restricted to specific species, rinse your specimens with seawater at the site of collection to dislodge potential hitchhiking organisms that you will not be using in your work.
- If you observe unusual mortalities in the field, including sea star wasting, report your observations to the FHL Director.
- Maintain collected animals alive and healthy whenever possible.
- As soon as you are finished using the organisms in your research, return healthy survivors to the site of collection (unless you have a WDFW permit that does not allow returns). For animals and plants with low natural dispersal, be especially careful about location. Any animals exhibiting symptoms of disease or obviously moribund may not be released.
- REPORT YOUR COLLECTIONS:
- For collections within the waters of San Juan County and Cypress Island: use the FHL online form linked in the section below.
- For collections elsewhere in the state: if your work required a Scientific Collection Permit, report collections to WDFW.
- E-mail Megan Dethier if you have questions about required permits, disposal of specimens, and reporting.
*Haliotis kamtschatkana is listed as an endangered species in WA state and may not be collected in the wild.
Collecting in the waters of SJ County & Cypress I. (the MBP)
The waters of San Juan County and Cypress Island are designated a Marine Biological Preserve (MBP), with FHL as the managing agency (House Bill 68, 1923; R.C.W.28.77.230,1969; Revision R.C.W.28B.20.320, 2023). Since 1923, the FHL Director has granted approval for scientific collection of marine plants and animals within the MBP; for most sites and species, no other permission or permits are required (but see below for exceptions). If you will be collecting organisms for your research within the MBP, you may request a letter from the Director stating that your collections for scientific purposes have been approved, to have on hand in the field in case you are questioned about your activities
Additional permission or special permits are required for collecting certain species (see above under General Collecting Guidelines) or at certain locations within the MBP region:
- In the National Parks, State Parks, or National Wildlife Refuge: researchers must obtain permits from those units prior to collecting.
- In the University of Washington Biological Preserves or WDFW Fisheries Preserves (which together include the FHL preserve and waters along its shoreline, False Bay, Argyle Lagoon, areas of Shaw Island, and around Yellow and Low Islands), researchers should request permission from the FHL Director.
- Many other tidelands in the region (or access to them) are owned by individuals or organizations; researchers should contact the owners/caretakers/agencies before collecting on those lands.
With the exception of species noted in the General Collecting Guidelines, organisms collected within SJ County to be studied at FHL do not generally require transfer or import permits.
A NOTE ABOUT COLLECTING FOR FOOD: Within the MBP region, collecting marine plants or animals for food is allowed only in certain areas and within certain limits and requires a state fishing license (sold at Friday Harbor stores). Food collection is not permitted in the University of Washington Biological Preserves or WDFW Fisheries Preserves (e.g. you must be 500 yards or 3/4 of the distance towards Brown Island from the FHL shoreline).
Contact Megan Dethier for more information about permission and access to particular locations in the MBP.
Report all Collections made in the MBP
All organisms collected for scientific purposes within the MBP, with the exceptions of planktonic species or life history stages and microscopic organisms, must be reported. Keep track of the organisms you collect, and submit FHL Organism Collection Forms to report them. You will need to fill out a separate collection form for each species regardless of whether it was collected on the same date and/or location as others. Your next researcher application will not be approved unless you’ve reported your collections.
Collecting outside the MBP and bringing organisms to FHL
If you are hoping to work at FHL on live organisms collected from outside the waters of San Juan County and Cypress Island (whether within or outside the state of Washington), you must indicate this on your FHL Researcher Application so facilities can be arranged accordingly; you will typically require a WDFW-approved research space that has a door with a lock, and no contact with FHL seawater system or WA marine waters. You should also directly contact the FHL Director to request permission for this work as soon as you know your plans and at least two months in advance. Depending on the nature of your project, the organism you will be working on, and other demands on research space, the Director will let you know whether FHL will be able to accommodate your proposed research.
After receiving approval from the FHL Director and a confirmed reservation from the Visitor Coordinator, you are responsible for securing the appropriate collection, transport, and/or import permits from the relevant agencies. Permit processing can take as much as 60 days, so plan in advance. Before you begin your work, email your approved permits to the FHL Director and post them as required in your FHL research space.
Collection Permits
Within the state of Washington and outside the waters of San Juan County and Cypress Island, the collection of aquatic (marine or freshwater) fish and invertebrates for research generally requires a Scientific Collection Permit from WDFW (fee $117 in 2023). Note that a condition of the permit is that within 60 days of its expiration, you submit a report of your collections via a form provided by WDFW.
For detailed information on WDFW collection permit requirements and forms, see this page on their website: Scientific Collection Permits. For questions, contact: scp@dfw.wa.gov, (360) 902-2200
Outside of Washington State, you are responsible for identifying and securing the necessary collection permits.
Regardless of whether or not you require a Scientific Collection Permit, if you are bringing aquatic animals or plants from outside SJ County to FHL, you will require a WDFW Import or Transfer Permit.
Import/Transport Permits
The transport of some organisms between some regions is prohibited by WDFW, so a researcher should first contact WDFW (see contact information below) to determine whether the transport they propose is allowed and if so, which permit application is relevant. WDFW issues different types of permits depending on whether the organisms are fish, invertebrates, or plants and whether they are coming from outside the state or being moved “between bodies of water” within the state. For example, fish brought to FHL for research from anywhere outside of SJ County require a Fish Transport Permit, while aquatic invertebrates brought from other areas typically require a Shellfish Import Permit (also used for marine plants).
If an Import or Transport Permit is granted, it will specify research requirements that are designed to eliminate or reduce the risk of spreading noxious pathogens or invasive species. These requirements will depend on the proposed site of collection and species being collected. In addition to facility criteria, permits will specify procedures such as that all water used on the organisms is afterwards treated with bleach and disposed into the sewer system, and that solids are bagged and placed in a dumpster.
Organisms collected within SJ County to be studied at FHL do not require an import or transfer permit.
For detailed information on requirements and forms, see the WDFW pages on Fish Transport Permits and Aquatic Invertebrate & Seaweed Import & Transfer Permits.
For more information, contact:
Email: shellfishpermits@dfw.wa.gov
Phone: (360) 316-6898