Summer is the season of water, here in the Northwest. Few things beat swimming at a local lake or beach on a hot afternoon, or catching crab for a backyard feast with friends.
But there are environmental factors that can make both swimming and harvesting something to avoid at certain times or places. Many of these conditions can change, too, making it challenging to know exactly what’s recommended by local regulations. So, we’ve compiled a list of resources that can provide the most up to date information for swimming conditions at monitored beaches and lakes, and recommendations from the Department of Health for seafood harvesting. Have fun, be safe, and stay healthy out there!
Swimming Beach Advisories
There are four locations monitored for swimming conditions in Bellingham Bay:
- Little Squalicum Beach (As of July 3, 2026, under permanent swimming advisory because elevated bacteria levels have been observed at this beach. This advisory will continue until bacteria levels decline to background levels.)
- Taylor Dock
- Marine Park
- Larrabee State Park
If you think you may have gotten sick from playing in water, you can report the incident on Whatcom County Health and Community Services’ website:
- Click “I Want To” in the top menu
- Click “File a Complaint or Report a Problem”
- Fill out the form and press” Submit”
Washington State Toxic Algae
This site is a great resource for looking up updates from local lakes, finding current algae blooms, reporting blooms, and knowing what certain signs mean.
Statewide Fish Consumption Advisories
- Northern Pike Minnow: DO NOT EAT
- Largemouth and smallmouth bass: Limit to two meals per month
Fish Consumption Advisories for Puget Sound Marine Area 7 from the Department of Health’s Map
Marine Area 7 includes the San Juan Islands and the shoreline from Rosario Beach north to the Canadian border. These regulations are for the more common species harvested from this area.
- Chinook: Up to four meals per month (contaminant: PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls; a group of man-made organic chemicals known to be toxic to people and the environment)
- Resident Chinook (Blackmouth): Up to four meals per month
- Chum, Coho, Pink, Sockey, Dungeness Crab, Spot prawn and heads, English Sole/Flatfish, herring: Unrestricted (healthy choice)
- Dungeness Crab Hepatopancreas: Up to four meals per month (contaminant: PCBs)
“If you eat the recommended amount of servings per week or month, don’t eat any additional fish, shellfish, or crab that week from Puget Sound or the grocery store. Example: If you eat one serving of Chinook Salmon, no other seafood should be eaten that week.”
Puget Sound Marine Area 7 Eating Advice from the Department of Health
- Chinook: One serving per week
- Resident Chinook (Blackmouth): Two servings per month
- Coho, chum, pink, sockeye, flatfish: Two to three servings per week
- “If you eat the recommended amount of servings per week or month, don’t eat any additional fish, shellfish, or crab that week from Puget Sound or the grocery store. Example: If you eat one serving of Chinook Salmon, no other seafood should be eaten that week.”
Crab and Spot Prawn Advisory
- “Dungeness crab meat can be safely eaten at unrestricted amounts from all Puget Sound marine areas except Marine Area 10 and from urban bays.”
- Crab butter (a yellow-green substance made from crab organs used for cooking): Four servings per month.
- Spot prawns and heads: Unrestricted
Note: Bellingham Bay is an “urban bay”! We recommend staying away from the inner Bay for worry-free crabbing. Because of it’s proximity to urban areas and historic toxic cleanup sites, crab caught in the inner Bay can have contaminants like mercury, PCBs, or DDT (a once widely used pesticide that has human health risks) in them. It’s safer to crab in the outer bay and beyond. You can find our research on the contamination of sediment and seafood in Bellingham Bay here.
Shellfish Beach Closures (Updated daily)
- Shows “Brown Blob” from Everett to Tacoma: “Closed due to pollution”
- Post Point: Closed year round for clams, mussels, and oysters because of Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant
- Mud Bay: Closed for all species because of pollution