Bays - OCEANSCAPE NETWORK

ECOSYSTEMS > OREGON COAST

Bays are wide inward-curving inlets where a body of water meets the land. Ecologically, these areas are very important because they offer a near-ocean environment which is still sheltered from the harsh conditions of the open sea.

If you think of estuaries as being the nurseries of the ocean, then bays are the school playgrounds. This is where older aquatic animals begin to venture seaward, leaving the relative safety of the estuaries and encountering both new species and conditions.

Bays are also places where the ocean food chain really begins to take shape, with larger species feeding on smaller ones as happens in the open sea on a truly grand scale.

The Allure of Bays:

There’s good reason wildlife — and people — have been attracted to bays throughout history. Because of their bowl-like shape, there can be considerable amount of upwelling in bays. This is when currents force nutrients which have settled on the bay’s bottom upward, mixing it throughout the water where it becomes a floating banquet for fish and other animals. Although upwelling can occur in other parts of ocean, it’s more likely to occur in coastal areas because the land naturally channels currents toward the surface. In bays, this process can intensify and results in a great variety of species living here due to the abundance of food.

Additionally, the structure of the bay diffuses the power of the ocean. Calmer waters allow wild animals like harbor seals and California sea lions to find safer places to rest and feed. Bays may also be too shallow for some common predators, like orcas and great white sharks, to enter.

The abundance of food and natural shelter is equally appealing for human beings. Since the dawn of civilization, people have used bays for the creation of ports and make it safer to harvest the ocean’s bounty. This is still true in Oregon today. Travel the long Oregon Coast Highway 101 and you’ll pass through numerous bays — Tillamook, Netarts, Yaquina, Alsea, Coos — and will find bustling communities, many with large fishing fleets. Pull off the road and spend some time in these areas and you'll find bays offer a variety of recreational activities too, including boating, kayaking, fishing or harvesting shellfish at low tide.