Puget Sound + 2 straits = 'Salish Sea'

By Associated Press

Summary

Washington has a new name for a very old waterway. The inland waters including the Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of George will now be known together as the Salish Sea.

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Story Published: Oct 30, 2009 at 3:12 PM PST

Story Updated: Oct 31, 2009 at 8:29 AM PST

Puget Sound + 2 straits = 'Salish Sea'

Image of the Strait of Juan de Fuca provided by Flickr user ZedZap(Nick).

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington has a new name for a very old waterway. The inland waters including the Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia will now be known together as the Salish Sea.

The new named approved Friday by the Washington State Board of Geographic Names does not replace any of the longstanding identifiers. Instead, it gives a label to something that has not had one.

The name has also been approved by the board's Canadian counterpart.

A retired professor of marine ecology at Western Washington University proposed the new name. Bert Webber hopes it will promote public awareness of the common problems of the inland waters and the need for cross-border solutions.