Tire Reef Scanning

In the 1970’s and1980’s a number of fishery habitat enhancement projects were implemented by the WA Department of Fish & Wildlife and the WA Department of Natural Resources. These efforts involved the placement of concrete debris and tires in certain locations in an attempt to create habitat in support of recreational fishing.

Today it is recognized that these efforts while well-intentioned, did not result in the desired outcome. The materials did not perform particularly well as habitat, and in the case of the tires, were in fact a source of marine debris and pollution.

There are over two dozen sites in Puget Sound and Hood Canal that are known or suspected to contain tires. The Puget Sound Tire Reef Inventory is an initiative to survey, analyze, quantify, and map each of these sites for purposes of informing and prioritizing removal efforts.

This project is funded through a Public Participation Grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The content was reviewed for grant consistency but is not necessarily endorsed by the agency.

Known Tire Reefs

There are the tire reefs that we are aware of in the Puget Sound. We are addressing this by surveying them, educating the public about them, and advocating for their removal. Please see below for Google Earth files of sites, or to read more please visit https://www.coastalsensing.com/puget-sound-tire-trash-reefs

Available Scans

Below are the scans available for public use. These files are all able to be opened in the free program Google Earth Pro that is available here: https://www.google.com/earth/download/gep/agree.html