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Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound
Not far from Seattle skyscrapers live 150-year-old clams, more than 250 species of fish, and underwater kelp forests as complex as any terrestrial ecosystem. For millennia, vibrant Coast Salish communities have lived beside these waters dense with nutrient-rich foods, with cultures intertwined through exchanges across the waterways. Transformed by settlement and resource extraction, Puget Sound and its future health now depend on a better understanding of the region’s ecological complexities.Focusing on the area south of Port Townsend and between the Cascade and Olympic mountains, Williams uncovers human and natural histories in, on, and around the Sound. In conversations with archaeologists, biologists, and tribal authorities, Williams traces how generations of humans have interacted with such species as geoducks, salmon, orcas, rockfish, and herring. He sheds light on how warfare shaped development and how people have moved across this maritime highway, in canoes, the mosquito fleet, and today’s ferry system. The book also takes an unflinching look at how the Sound’s ecosystems have suffered from human behavior, including pollution, habitat destruction, and the effects of climate change.Witty, graceful, and deeply informed, Homewaters weaves history and science into a fascinating and hopeful narrative, one that will introduce newcomers to the astonishing life that inhabits the Sound and offers longtime residents new insight into and appreciation of the waters they call home.A Michael J. Repass Book
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 24, 2021
97 people are currently reading
705 people want to read
About the author
David B. Williams
12 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 16, 2023
“By returning foods such as Olympia oysters to Puget Sound, Betsy and others focused on restoration are not only helping to restore the habitat, they are also helping to restore community. They are sowing reminders is the past, of stories, and if long-standing connections to place through local foods, all of which build resilience and offer hope for those who use that knowledge to try to create a better future.”
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September 21, 2021Williams (who works at the Burke Museum) is a local naturalist who writes on a variety of interesting topics. I’ve been a fan since I read his geological tour of downtown Seattle – looking at the rocks in the buildings you can see from the sidewalk – and I follow him on Twitter, so I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of this latest book. It’s a loose collection of essays on different topics. My favorite was kelp. I never thought much about kelp. Williams points out that Puget Sound is essentially a kelp ecosystem. Kelp provide a place for everyone else to live: “a safe haven for crawlers, creepers, slitherers, and swimmers.” A protected place where organisms can thrive. “The marine understory provides habitat, refuge from predators, and temporary homes for migrating animals. . . enhanced growth rates and survival for several invertebrates, such as mussels, barnacles, and tubeworms . . . safe harbor for schools of fish, including Pacific herring, Pacific sand lance, and surf smelt.” We’ve been aware for some time that humans probably ventured into North America along the coasts, not overland, and Williams points out that they followed “kelp highways.”
Speaking of herring, sand lance, and surf smelt, there’s a whole chapter on these “forage fish.” Never thought much about herring, either, but, though we think of Puget Sound as the land of the salmon, herring are a bigger resource, and traditionally as great a part of the diet here. And as fundamental to the ecosystem. Williams quotes one biologist: “They are really good at eating tiny, crunchy things and converting them into delicious fatty meals.” NOAA fisheries biologist Ole Shelton says, “They connect the open ocean to the coast. They link predator and prey. They transmit nutrients between ecosystems. They are very much the hub in the wheel of the Sound.”
Of course any twenty-first century story about nature is a sad story, and there’s lots here on how the amazing ecosystems of Puget Sound are crashing and dying. One of the most interesting is the story of the rockfish. The State of Washington promoted overfishing of the rockfish to console salmon fisherman angry at the Boldt decision reserving some of the salmon for native peoples. (As the treaties had promised.) Now the rockfish are critically endangered. And the primary impediment to their recovery is . . . their age. Rockfish can live to be a hundred years old. Two hundred years old. So they don’t reproduce very fast.
Speaking of herring, sand lance, and surf smelt, there’s a whole chapter on these “forage fish.” Never thought much about herring, either, but, though we think of Puget Sound as the land of the salmon, herring are a bigger resource, and traditionally as great a part of the diet here. And as fundamental to the ecosystem. Williams quotes one biologist: “They are really good at eating tiny, crunchy things and converting them into delicious fatty meals.” NOAA fisheries biologist Ole Shelton says, “They connect the open ocean to the coast. They link predator and prey. They transmit nutrients between ecosystems. They are very much the hub in the wheel of the Sound.”
Of course any twenty-first century story about nature is a sad story, and there’s lots here on how the amazing ecosystems of Puget Sound are crashing and dying. One of the most interesting is the story of the rockfish. The State of Washington promoted overfishing of the rockfish to console salmon fisherman angry at the Boldt decision reserving some of the salmon for native peoples. (As the treaties had promised.) Now the rockfish are critically endangered. And the primary impediment to their recovery is . . . their age. Rockfish can live to be a hundred years old. Two hundred years old. So they don’t reproduce very fast.
March 28, 2025
The closing advice of a Swinomish Tribe leader on the last page of the book “Be present on the land. Engage with the goal of actually learning and therefore caring about the place you live.” Reading this book was working towards that goal.
I love the book jacket cover photo ! Made me want to buy the book 😀 Not sure why it does not show up on Goodreads.
UPDATE it looks like cover photo now shows up on Goodreads
I love the book jacket cover photo ! Made me want to buy the book 😀 Not sure why it does not show up on Goodreads.
UPDATE it looks like cover photo now shows up on Goodreads
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March 27, 2026My book notes:
Page 4 - In 1792, George Vancouver of the Royal British Navy lead an expedition aboard the HMS Discovery to the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. He named the Puget Sound after one of his lieutenants named Peter Puget.
Page 7 - Sound comes from the Old English sund, meaning water or sea, and Old Norse sund, mean swimming or strait.
Page 10 - “When the timber companies began to arrive in the early 1850s, they quickly established more than two dozen sawmills along the shores of the Sound. Most of the lumber ended up in San Francisco; the city’s rapid expansion after the California gold rush had created a bottomless demand for wood.”
Page 10 - About 2,800 streams and rivers empty into the Puget Sound. The largest is the Skagit River, which contributes one-third to one-half of the freshwater that enters Puget Sound.
Page 13 - Puget Sound’s average depth is 230 feet. This is incredibly deep compared to other bays. For example, Chesapeake Bay has an average depth of just 21 feet.
Page 18 - To prevent erosion of the bluffs that surround much of Puget Sound, many beaches have been “armored” - with stone walls built along the beaches to prevent waves from eroding the shoreline. Over the years, however, it has been found that armoring prevents the shoreline from naturally moving inland. As waves continue eroding sand, the beach often narrows or disappears in front of the wall. In addition,
Page 21 - Archaeologists believe the first human residents in the Puget Sound region arrived at least 12,500 years ago, making it one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes in the lower forty-eight states.
Page 24 - Five species of salmon occur in Puget Sound at present: Chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye. None of these species is doing well relative to their historical numbers.
Page 28 - The Puget Sound region is located directly on a fault line that has the potential to generate an earthquake at literally any point in time currently. Residents refer to this potential earthquake as “The Big One” because it would likely cause catastrophic damage when it occurs.
Page 29 - “Cedar trees in the Puget Sound region became central to people’s material lives around five thousand years ago. Ropes, cradles, and canoes, homes, hats, baskets, and masks, bowls and diapers - all were made from the wood and bark of what was and is called the tree of life.”
Page 30 - Smallpox was introduced to the Coast Salish people of the Puget Sound region in 1781, which led to the deaths of a catastrophically high number of people. The source of the smallpox is believed to be either a shipwreck on the Oregon coast or Native people from the Great Plans carrying it to the Pacific Northwest via trade routes.
Page 31 - Smallpox caused a massive population decrease in the Puget Sound region, which opened the door for settlers and newcomers to take over the region beginning in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Page 32 - In 1592, Greek Mariner Juan de Fuca claimed he had sailed north along the Pacific coast and found a large opening in the coastline around 47–48° north latitude. He reported this voyage later to the English merchant Michael Lok, who published the story. When the British explorer George Vancouver mapped the region in 1792, he named the waterway the Strait of Juan de Fuca in honor of the navigator who had earlier claimed to discover it.
Page 36 - The Coast Salish people had survived in Puget Sound for thousands of years with relatively little negative impact on the areas natural resources; they hunted, fished, gathered, traded and traveled according to the seasons. This way of living was foreign to the British explorers who prioritized progress and industry in the forms of steam, brick and metal.
Page 38 - In the 1820s, a British trading group called the Hudson’s Bay Company established a fort near modern-day Olympia where they incentivized local natives to hunt beavers, otters, muskrats and other animals for them in exchange for ammunition, blankets, clothing, fabric, guns and tobacco. The company then sold the pelts from these animals, which were in high demand at the time.
Page 39 - The Hudson’s Bay Company viewed the landscape purely in terms of economic gain.
Page 39 - The removal of beavers from this region had a negative effect on salmon because when beavers built dams in different waterways, it increased the retention of sediments and organic materials and it regulated stream flows and enhanced wetlands, all of which made inviting habitats for salmon. Without the beavers, the waterways no longer had these beneficial features.
Page 42 - By the mid-1850s, more than two dozen sawmills had opened around the Puget Sound. This also had negative consequences for salmon. Without trees, stream temperatures rose, river banks were less stable and fewer trees fell into rivers, which usually created logjams and natural ecosystems for salmon. At sawmills, piles of sawdust washed into streams and smothered salmon eggs, clogged the gills of fish and sucked oxygen out of the water as it decomposed.
Page 46 - A series of treaties made between settlers and the natives essentially signed over all land ownership in the Puget Sound region to the settlers. The natives received cash and small land areas designated as reservations where they were allowed to live.
Page 68 - Puget Sound is one of the most favorable saltwater expanses in the continental United States. Its waters are relatively calm and there is rarely extreme wind or waves. Contrast this with other waterways around the U.S. - on the east coast the wind and waves are intense, in the Gulf of Mexico you get hurricanes, mosquitos and intense heat, on the west coast you get swift currents and cloaking fog and just south of Puget Sound, coastal mariners have to contend with the mouth of the Columbia River, dubbed the “graveyard of the Pacific”, where, since 1800, more than two thousand ships have wrecked, claiming an estimated seven hundred lives.
Page 72 - Traveling by canoe was an essential part of life for Indians in the Puget Sound region. Even from an early age, children were taught how to navigate the various waterways around the Sound by canoe.
Page 76 - By the 1880s, the Sound was populated with hundreds of steamships and sailing ships that transported both people and goods throughout the waterways. Today, the modern ferry system in the Puget Sound carries over 26 million riders annually, making it the most popular ferry system in the U.S.
Page 93 - There are 18 different species of kelp that grow in Puget Sound. Kelp are a keystone species whose underwater forests provide homes for mussels, barnacles, tubeworms, and safe harbors for schools of fish including Pacific herring, Pacific sand lance and surf smelt. Kelp forests slow down waves and currents and create calmer, more stable habitats that make it possible for many species to live there that otherwise couldn’t.
Page 98 - The Coast Salish people used kelp in a variety of ways: they wrapped fish that they caught with the kelp to keep them cool and wet during transport, they chopped up kelp and added it to dishes to make it more flavorful, and they used kelp to line pits when steaming foods such as camas, deer, seal and porpoise to add moisture to the food and enhance the flavor.
Page 102 - In the mid 1800s, hunters destroyed the sea otter population for their pelts in Puget Sound. Sea otters are natural predators of sea urchins, which in turn eat kelp. When the sea otters were removed, the sea urchin population surged, which resulted in a steep decline in kelp.
Page 122 - In recent decades, jellyfish populations have greatly increased in Puget Sound likely because they benefit from warming waters. This is problematic because jellyfish compete with forage fish for food, eat their larvae and those of salmon, and provide limited calories to other marine organisms.
Page 131 - Forage fish are a class of fish that are small and live in schools, and provide a critical link in the marine food web by eating plankton and krill and then in turn getting consumed by larger predators like salmon, scoters, seals and hundreds of other fish. The most prevalent forage fish in the Puget Sound is herring, which unfortunately have experienced massive population decline over the last few decades.
Page 152 - One of the most common species of fish in Puget Sound are rockfish, which live near rocky reefs, kelp forests, or the seafloor (hence the name “rockfish”). Unfortunately, overfishing has caused a massive decline in the rockfish population in Puget Sound over the decades, a problem compounded by the fact that they often don’t reproduce until later in life when they’re between 10-30 years old.
Page 4 - In 1792, George Vancouver of the Royal British Navy lead an expedition aboard the HMS Discovery to the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. He named the Puget Sound after one of his lieutenants named Peter Puget.
Page 7 - Sound comes from the Old English sund, meaning water or sea, and Old Norse sund, mean swimming or strait.
Page 10 - “When the timber companies began to arrive in the early 1850s, they quickly established more than two dozen sawmills along the shores of the Sound. Most of the lumber ended up in San Francisco; the city’s rapid expansion after the California gold rush had created a bottomless demand for wood.”
Page 10 - About 2,800 streams and rivers empty into the Puget Sound. The largest is the Skagit River, which contributes one-third to one-half of the freshwater that enters Puget Sound.
Page 13 - Puget Sound’s average depth is 230 feet. This is incredibly deep compared to other bays. For example, Chesapeake Bay has an average depth of just 21 feet.
Page 18 - To prevent erosion of the bluffs that surround much of Puget Sound, many beaches have been “armored” - with stone walls built along the beaches to prevent waves from eroding the shoreline. Over the years, however, it has been found that armoring prevents the shoreline from naturally moving inland. As waves continue eroding sand, the beach often narrows or disappears in front of the wall. In addition,
Page 21 - Archaeologists believe the first human residents in the Puget Sound region arrived at least 12,500 years ago, making it one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes in the lower forty-eight states.
Page 24 - Five species of salmon occur in Puget Sound at present: Chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye. None of these species is doing well relative to their historical numbers.
Page 28 - The Puget Sound region is located directly on a fault line that has the potential to generate an earthquake at literally any point in time currently. Residents refer to this potential earthquake as “The Big One” because it would likely cause catastrophic damage when it occurs.
Page 29 - “Cedar trees in the Puget Sound region became central to people’s material lives around five thousand years ago. Ropes, cradles, and canoes, homes, hats, baskets, and masks, bowls and diapers - all were made from the wood and bark of what was and is called the tree of life.”
Page 30 - Smallpox was introduced to the Coast Salish people of the Puget Sound region in 1781, which led to the deaths of a catastrophically high number of people. The source of the smallpox is believed to be either a shipwreck on the Oregon coast or Native people from the Great Plans carrying it to the Pacific Northwest via trade routes.
Page 31 - Smallpox caused a massive population decrease in the Puget Sound region, which opened the door for settlers and newcomers to take over the region beginning in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Page 32 - In 1592, Greek Mariner Juan de Fuca claimed he had sailed north along the Pacific coast and found a large opening in the coastline around 47–48° north latitude. He reported this voyage later to the English merchant Michael Lok, who published the story. When the British explorer George Vancouver mapped the region in 1792, he named the waterway the Strait of Juan de Fuca in honor of the navigator who had earlier claimed to discover it.
Page 36 - The Coast Salish people had survived in Puget Sound for thousands of years with relatively little negative impact on the areas natural resources; they hunted, fished, gathered, traded and traveled according to the seasons. This way of living was foreign to the British explorers who prioritized progress and industry in the forms of steam, brick and metal.
Page 38 - In the 1820s, a British trading group called the Hudson’s Bay Company established a fort near modern-day Olympia where they incentivized local natives to hunt beavers, otters, muskrats and other animals for them in exchange for ammunition, blankets, clothing, fabric, guns and tobacco. The company then sold the pelts from these animals, which were in high demand at the time.
Page 39 - The Hudson’s Bay Company viewed the landscape purely in terms of economic gain.
Page 39 - The removal of beavers from this region had a negative effect on salmon because when beavers built dams in different waterways, it increased the retention of sediments and organic materials and it regulated stream flows and enhanced wetlands, all of which made inviting habitats for salmon. Without the beavers, the waterways no longer had these beneficial features.
Page 42 - By the mid-1850s, more than two dozen sawmills had opened around the Puget Sound. This also had negative consequences for salmon. Without trees, stream temperatures rose, river banks were less stable and fewer trees fell into rivers, which usually created logjams and natural ecosystems for salmon. At sawmills, piles of sawdust washed into streams and smothered salmon eggs, clogged the gills of fish and sucked oxygen out of the water as it decomposed.
Page 46 - A series of treaties made between settlers and the natives essentially signed over all land ownership in the Puget Sound region to the settlers. The natives received cash and small land areas designated as reservations where they were allowed to live.
Page 68 - Puget Sound is one of the most favorable saltwater expanses in the continental United States. Its waters are relatively calm and there is rarely extreme wind or waves. Contrast this with other waterways around the U.S. - on the east coast the wind and waves are intense, in the Gulf of Mexico you get hurricanes, mosquitos and intense heat, on the west coast you get swift currents and cloaking fog and just south of Puget Sound, coastal mariners have to contend with the mouth of the Columbia River, dubbed the “graveyard of the Pacific”, where, since 1800, more than two thousand ships have wrecked, claiming an estimated seven hundred lives.
Page 72 - Traveling by canoe was an essential part of life for Indians in the Puget Sound region. Even from an early age, children were taught how to navigate the various waterways around the Sound by canoe.
Page 76 - By the 1880s, the Sound was populated with hundreds of steamships and sailing ships that transported both people and goods throughout the waterways. Today, the modern ferry system in the Puget Sound carries over 26 million riders annually, making it the most popular ferry system in the U.S.
Page 93 - There are 18 different species of kelp that grow in Puget Sound. Kelp are a keystone species whose underwater forests provide homes for mussels, barnacles, tubeworms, and safe harbors for schools of fish including Pacific herring, Pacific sand lance and surf smelt. Kelp forests slow down waves and currents and create calmer, more stable habitats that make it possible for many species to live there that otherwise couldn’t.
Page 98 - The Coast Salish people used kelp in a variety of ways: they wrapped fish that they caught with the kelp to keep them cool and wet during transport, they chopped up kelp and added it to dishes to make it more flavorful, and they used kelp to line pits when steaming foods such as camas, deer, seal and porpoise to add moisture to the food and enhance the flavor.
Page 102 - In the mid 1800s, hunters destroyed the sea otter population for their pelts in Puget Sound. Sea otters are natural predators of sea urchins, which in turn eat kelp. When the sea otters were removed, the sea urchin population surged, which resulted in a steep decline in kelp.
Page 122 - In recent decades, jellyfish populations have greatly increased in Puget Sound likely because they benefit from warming waters. This is problematic because jellyfish compete with forage fish for food, eat their larvae and those of salmon, and provide limited calories to other marine organisms.
Page 131 - Forage fish are a class of fish that are small and live in schools, and provide a critical link in the marine food web by eating plankton and krill and then in turn getting consumed by larger predators like salmon, scoters, seals and hundreds of other fish. The most prevalent forage fish in the Puget Sound is herring, which unfortunately have experienced massive population decline over the last few decades.
Page 152 - One of the most common species of fish in Puget Sound are rockfish, which live near rocky reefs, kelp forests, or the seafloor (hence the name “rockfish”). Unfortunately, overfishing has caused a massive decline in the rockfish population in Puget Sound over the decades, a problem compounded by the fact that they often don’t reproduce until later in life when they’re between 10-30 years old.
August 29, 2022
this should be a must read for any seattle transplant to understand more of the history of the puget sound! I liked the first half of the book more than the second, but overall it was really interesting.
November 1, 2021
A really fascinating look into the natural and human history of Puget Sound. I really annoyed everyone near me while I read this and shared tons of facts with them regardless of their level of interest. I had it checked out from the library but bought a copy before I was done because I knew I’d want to return to it again in the future. Really well written and interesting. Recommended for anyone in the Puget Sound area with any interest in the history of this place or the plants and animals who live here too.
August 7, 2021
Very enjoyable review of the puget sound, it's creation and it's inhabitants over millennia. If you have even the slightest interest in sound read this book. He does a wonderful job of describing the indigenous way of life that existed long before people from other parts of the globe arrived. Their lives are placed in the center of the story and act as a counterpoint to the people that followed.
January 27, 2022
A comprehensive and engaging history of Puget Sound, a unique ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest and home to world-famous denizens such as orcas and salmons. This book is a gem to the residents of Seattle - what a wonderful thing it is, to study and understand the ecosystem, the dynamics of the land you live on, so that you may become a better steward of it.
December 29, 2021
Interesting history of the Puget Sound. Will want to check out the peak of Mount Townsend.
August 25, 2024
Being a native Seattleite, I thought I had a good understanding of Puget Sound. But reading David William’s Homewaters – A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound provided me a much richer knowledge of Puget Sound’s history and current challenges. Combining interesting stories with facts and figures, Williams shares a thorough account of where Puget Sound has been, where it stands today, and the challenges facing the Sound going forward.
Williams explains how Native Americans “thrived for thousands of years with relatively little impact on the area’s natural resources”. This low-impact from humans quickly changed with the arrival of European settlers, who were highly focused on extracting resources in pursuit of wealth. Settlers’ impact on the natives was devastating. Smallpox arrived about 1781. Estimates of native deaths from Smallpox range from 30% to 90%. Not believing that natives had rights to the land, the settlers routinely disparaged them. Treaties were forced upon the natives, forcing them to “cede, relinquish, and convey to the United States all their right, title, and interest in and to the lands and country occupied by them.” Soon the settler population exploded.
Williams describes how settlers consistently failed to moderate their extraction methods, whether harvesting timber or sea life, and how this lead to steady degradation of the Sound. Streams and rivers were diked, diverted and drained. Over 400 dams were built on the Sound’s waterways, starving them of sediment needed for nourishment. Continued development degraded floodplains. Pollutants enter the Sound from farms, homes and industry. The many actions Williams describes have led to approximately 56% of the Sound’s original delta habitats being destroyed. Fortunately, regulations imposed over the past decades has improved the health of the Sound, but ecological challenges remain.
Williams provides the history of the Sounds’ ferry system, which today is the most popular in the country. But before today’s ferries, a “mosquito fleet” was formed that sailed throughout Puget Sound to traffic goods and passengers. I found this history quite fascinating.
I was surprised when Homewaters delved into the “Forests in the Sound”, giving the reader a thorough understanding of kelp (commonly referred to as seaweed). Williams writes that kelp forests in Puget Sound are “the equivalent of the temperate rainforests above it, and equally critical to the ecosystem.” Kelp is critical for sea life, providing nourishment and safe haven for many marine species. Native Americans used kelp for fishing, ropes and other uses. Today, kelp faces many environmental challenges. Rising water temperatures are hurting kelp beds, as is sediment runoff from new land developments. To reverse the general decline in kelp forests, kelp restoration needs a “multipronged strategy to building resilience.” Kelp can work to store carbon, serving as an effective tool in fighting climate change.
When I read the chapter title “The Silver Wave”, I expected the topic would be salmon. I was wrong. The silver wave Williams describes refers to herring, which he states are “the most central” fish to the Sound’s ecosystem. As one of the Sounds’ major first-level consumers, herring “connect everything in Puget Sound”. Since settlers arrived, herring were overexploited leading to an inevitable herring crash. Williams explains how humans are “the one major source of pollution”, including our paving over land, the runoff from automobiles, our use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, washing our cars in our driveways, and more. “During a typical day, more than 52,000 pounds of pollutants and 1.1 million pounds of suspended sediment enter the Sound from surface sources.” King County “estimated total untreated stormwater runoff in the county at 118 billion gallons annually”. Other harmful human-driven factors include “bycatch, degraded water quality and habitat, derelict nets, dredging, release of hatchery salmon, runoff, vessel traffic, and the big uncertainty, though it is certainly happening, climate change.” These not-so-fun facts give the reader a strong sense of urgency to support the protection of Puget Sound.
Another surprising Puget Sound specie that Williams covers are Rockfish. Rockfish have “more species, more habitats, and a more direct connection to the Sound’s geology than any other fish.” Williams describes how recreational fishing for Rockfish became highly popular after the court ruling in the 1970s assuring Native American tribes 50% of the salmon and steelhead catch. Not surprisingly, a similar patterned developed: people went wild fishing for rockfish, and overfishing lead to its serious decline, forcing new regulations. Today, “it is illegal to harvest any species of rockfish in Puget Sound.” But biologists believe that it is not too late to save rockfish. Williams also gives a history of the clams and oysters living in Puget Sound. A similar pattern was followed: abundance, exploitation, decline, new regulations, and survival at much lower populations.
Williams states that salmon and orca are “homebodies”, because they always return to Puget Sound, their homewaters. As with other Puget Sound species, they too are in danger. Restoration efforts need to include the removal of culverts and dams, the replacement of agricultural and industrial lands with forests, and the restoration of floodplain ecosystems.
Finally, Williams describes the impact of climate change on Puget Sound, writing “ocean acidification is leading to weaker shell construction in oysters. Warmer saltwater is restricting kelp growth, and warmer stream water is inhibiting salmon growth. Rising sea levels are increasing wave erosion, leading to degraded shorelines and intertidal habitat.” The rapid pace and cumulative effects of climate change will be hard to overcome.
Williams frets that “climate change certainly has the potential to overwhelm every human good intention in Puget Sound and to lead people to conclude that it is not even worth trying.” But Williams remains hopeful, concluding that “each of us plays a role in the future of Puget Sound and has the potential to create a positive legacy.” Williams believes that “we can create a better future for all who live here”. In Homebodies, Williams provides the reader with the knowledge and inspiration to pursue his hope. We have choices, and Williams seems optimistic that we will choose to do our part to protect these sacred waters upon which we live.
Williams explains how Native Americans “thrived for thousands of years with relatively little impact on the area’s natural resources”. This low-impact from humans quickly changed with the arrival of European settlers, who were highly focused on extracting resources in pursuit of wealth. Settlers’ impact on the natives was devastating. Smallpox arrived about 1781. Estimates of native deaths from Smallpox range from 30% to 90%. Not believing that natives had rights to the land, the settlers routinely disparaged them. Treaties were forced upon the natives, forcing them to “cede, relinquish, and convey to the United States all their right, title, and interest in and to the lands and country occupied by them.” Soon the settler population exploded.
Williams describes how settlers consistently failed to moderate their extraction methods, whether harvesting timber or sea life, and how this lead to steady degradation of the Sound. Streams and rivers were diked, diverted and drained. Over 400 dams were built on the Sound’s waterways, starving them of sediment needed for nourishment. Continued development degraded floodplains. Pollutants enter the Sound from farms, homes and industry. The many actions Williams describes have led to approximately 56% of the Sound’s original delta habitats being destroyed. Fortunately, regulations imposed over the past decades has improved the health of the Sound, but ecological challenges remain.
Williams provides the history of the Sounds’ ferry system, which today is the most popular in the country. But before today’s ferries, a “mosquito fleet” was formed that sailed throughout Puget Sound to traffic goods and passengers. I found this history quite fascinating.
I was surprised when Homewaters delved into the “Forests in the Sound”, giving the reader a thorough understanding of kelp (commonly referred to as seaweed). Williams writes that kelp forests in Puget Sound are “the equivalent of the temperate rainforests above it, and equally critical to the ecosystem.” Kelp is critical for sea life, providing nourishment and safe haven for many marine species. Native Americans used kelp for fishing, ropes and other uses. Today, kelp faces many environmental challenges. Rising water temperatures are hurting kelp beds, as is sediment runoff from new land developments. To reverse the general decline in kelp forests, kelp restoration needs a “multipronged strategy to building resilience.” Kelp can work to store carbon, serving as an effective tool in fighting climate change.
When I read the chapter title “The Silver Wave”, I expected the topic would be salmon. I was wrong. The silver wave Williams describes refers to herring, which he states are “the most central” fish to the Sound’s ecosystem. As one of the Sounds’ major first-level consumers, herring “connect everything in Puget Sound”. Since settlers arrived, herring were overexploited leading to an inevitable herring crash. Williams explains how humans are “the one major source of pollution”, including our paving over land, the runoff from automobiles, our use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, washing our cars in our driveways, and more. “During a typical day, more than 52,000 pounds of pollutants and 1.1 million pounds of suspended sediment enter the Sound from surface sources.” King County “estimated total untreated stormwater runoff in the county at 118 billion gallons annually”. Other harmful human-driven factors include “bycatch, degraded water quality and habitat, derelict nets, dredging, release of hatchery salmon, runoff, vessel traffic, and the big uncertainty, though it is certainly happening, climate change.” These not-so-fun facts give the reader a strong sense of urgency to support the protection of Puget Sound.
Another surprising Puget Sound specie that Williams covers are Rockfish. Rockfish have “more species, more habitats, and a more direct connection to the Sound’s geology than any other fish.” Williams describes how recreational fishing for Rockfish became highly popular after the court ruling in the 1970s assuring Native American tribes 50% of the salmon and steelhead catch. Not surprisingly, a similar patterned developed: people went wild fishing for rockfish, and overfishing lead to its serious decline, forcing new regulations. Today, “it is illegal to harvest any species of rockfish in Puget Sound.” But biologists believe that it is not too late to save rockfish. Williams also gives a history of the clams and oysters living in Puget Sound. A similar pattern was followed: abundance, exploitation, decline, new regulations, and survival at much lower populations.
Williams states that salmon and orca are “homebodies”, because they always return to Puget Sound, their homewaters. As with other Puget Sound species, they too are in danger. Restoration efforts need to include the removal of culverts and dams, the replacement of agricultural and industrial lands with forests, and the restoration of floodplain ecosystems.
Finally, Williams describes the impact of climate change on Puget Sound, writing “ocean acidification is leading to weaker shell construction in oysters. Warmer saltwater is restricting kelp growth, and warmer stream water is inhibiting salmon growth. Rising sea levels are increasing wave erosion, leading to degraded shorelines and intertidal habitat.” The rapid pace and cumulative effects of climate change will be hard to overcome.
Williams frets that “climate change certainly has the potential to overwhelm every human good intention in Puget Sound and to lead people to conclude that it is not even worth trying.” But Williams remains hopeful, concluding that “each of us plays a role in the future of Puget Sound and has the potential to create a positive legacy.” Williams believes that “we can create a better future for all who live here”. In Homebodies, Williams provides the reader with the knowledge and inspiration to pursue his hope. We have choices, and Williams seems optimistic that we will choose to do our part to protect these sacred waters upon which we live.
December 23, 2025
I was more interested in the first half of the book which discusses the history of the region. The second half of the book about kelp and herring and geoducks (pronounced gooey-duck!) was not as engaging but was equally well-researched.
August 3, 2022
This is a very readable book on a critically important topic. The news is not always good, ecologically speaking, but Williams tries to remain upbeat, pointing out steps taken but realistically wondering whether it is too little, too late, or enough (so to speak) to turn the tide.
I especially liked the chapters that discussed the species iconic to the Salish Sea: kelp, geoduck, rockfish, herring, salmon, and orca. I grew up on the beach of an Island. I remember this environment before it was seriously interfered with, so I could relate to most of the stories he told, even though I have a sense of great loss. Why, I remember when... my uncle, upon his annual arrival "home" (as opposed to where he lived and worked in St. Louis) first dug a bucket of clams for fresh chowder, then fished for rock cod in the kelp bed off "the point"--and thus was the table set with his favorite meals. Now, the kelp bed and thus the rock cod are gone and the clams are fewer and smaller.
You can either read it (the book) and weep, or you can do something about it.
I especially liked the chapters that discussed the species iconic to the Salish Sea: kelp, geoduck, rockfish, herring, salmon, and orca. I grew up on the beach of an Island. I remember this environment before it was seriously interfered with, so I could relate to most of the stories he told, even though I have a sense of great loss. Why, I remember when... my uncle, upon his annual arrival "home" (as opposed to where he lived and worked in St. Louis) first dug a bucket of clams for fresh chowder, then fished for rock cod in the kelp bed off "the point"--and thus was the table set with his favorite meals. Now, the kelp bed and thus the rock cod are gone and the clams are fewer and smaller.
You can either read it (the book) and weep, or you can do something about it.
August 2, 2023
I moved to the Puget Sound a month ago and treated myself to this book as a wonderful primer to the homewaters I will be residing in. With thick descriptions of landscape, (neo)colonial history, science, cultural reclamation and revitalization of Indigenous Coastal Salish people, (writing?)/'righting' the wrongs of industrialization, and a love of the Sound, Williams' prose and narration moved me. Relying on archival resources, literature reviews, and dozens of informational interviews, Williams writes with deep nuance and cultural sensitivity. I especially loved all the multilayered storytelling of non-human kin from geoducks (and the burgeoning global mollusk industry), kelp, 'oly' Olympic oysters, rockfish, and of course orcas, and salmon. Each page I was gripped. I live in such a special place. This book formed my schema on land, water, industry, home, and healing. 10/10 recommend to anyone fascinated by the Puget Sound and where they live. Shout out to Eagle Harbor Bookstore on Bainbridge Island for carrying a plethora of local authors on local topics.
February 23, 2023
It took me awhile to get through this book, there’s a lot of information, but I loved every part of it. I felt like I cared about the Puget sound before, mainly because of their stars the orcas. But this book made me feel passionately about plants and animals and vital parts of the ecosystem I had never considered before. My poor husband had to listen to me harp on about the importance of herring for a week, then our friends got to hear about it too. I loved the first part of the book, which was more about the human anthropology/ history of the sound, but the latter half was my favorite. I got sucked into kelp, herring, geoducks, oly oysters and rockfish and learned more about each subject in 1 chapter then I have in my entire life of living in the PNW. This is an important book to read, especially for those who call the Puget Sound home.
January 7, 2022
I started reading this book as I sat on a boat on the Salish Sea, and I finished it at home in a Seattle suburb. At both locations I paused in reading to look at the natural world around me — the bay full of sea grass and kelp but curiously lacking in starfish, the deep waters of Puget Sound where orcas exhaled mist into the morning air, or my local stream where red-bodied fish worked hard against the current — and I saw it all with new eyes. Home waters is an unbiased and well-researched look at the creatures (aquatic and human) who live in and around Puget Sound, and discusses the changes that have occurred there over time. This is a must-read for Puget Sound residents, fishers, seafood eaters, and anyone with an interest in this valuable ecosystem.
August 13, 2022
This isn't the normal book that I read even though it is in my field. This book was chosen for a DEIA internship book club and I am very glad we went with this book. The students seemed to enjoy the book and got into some of the discussions. It is clear the author went into a lot of work with interviews and field work and it is a great history of Puget Sound. It doesn't focus on one animal or aspect of the area but all areas and all histories. We are lucky enough to have the author come and join in on our last book discussion (hasn't happened before posting this) and we are all very excited! Would recommend to anyone who lives in Puget Sound area.
October 6, 2021
I learned lots of interesting information about Puget Sound, its history, and what needs to happen going forward to improve and sustain its ecosystem. The author includes quite a bit of scientific detail, but written so I could understand it. He also incorporates the history and practices of the coastal Salish peoples’ relationship with these waters and what they offer. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Sound’s history and what they can do to help make it (or the body of water nearest where they live) flourish.
July 16, 2023
This book covers some geologic history, a good amount of human history, and loads of plant and animal history of the Puget Sound. The author also dives into trading and the maritime highway, from canoe to mosquito fleet to ferries. Kelp and herring as well as salmon and Orcas are examined. The focus is on the water and adjacent land, and not the broader Puget Sound area. The author is a curatorial associate at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. It's full of information but easy to read.
November 3, 2021
Engrossing book that bills itself as a "biography" of Puget Sound. The author explains the history of exploration in the Sound, and brief summaries of the histories of local Native Americans, and the historical and current statuses of iconic species such as orcas, salmon, kelp, oysters, geoducks, etc. Everyone who lives on or near the Sound should read this volume because the Salish Sea is our homewaters.
November 15, 2023
I love when informative books start with surprising me and don't let up until the end. From the geological history and political definitions of Puget Sound to the people and wildlife that interact, there is fascinating stuff throughout each chapter. It's not one where I raced to the end (I recommend one chapter at a time to digest), but that doesn't mean it's less worthwhile. It's a key book to read for living in Puget Sound, looking at past and present to think about what the future will be.
June 6, 2021
The writing style of Williams in this book felt lazy and sloppy. So much of it consists of quotes upon quotes from other writers when paraphrasing and synthesizing the material was called for. There were enough fascinating facts about the Salish Sea and its inhabitants to keep me reading the book, but I was disappointed in what I had hoped would be an engaging and informative book.
December 30, 2021
Terrific book about the natural history of Puget Sound. Very readable filled with thorough research. From early exploration, Native histories, to the kelp forest and mammals in the Salish Sea. Facts about the goeduck was fascinating. A book you can read again and again. The author does regular tours and talks in the Seattle area as well
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January 14, 2022As a life long resident of Puget Sound, I loved this book! I expected it to be all about salmon and orca, but I ended up learning more than I could have imagined about my home - what a diverse place! Everything within the Sound is so interconnected. I've never been so motivated to do more about our destruction of the most incredible place in the world.
February 28, 2022
Necessary reading for anyone concerned about the health of Puget Sound. He tries to set a hopeful tone but emphasizes that humans are responsible for the drastic decline of species through overfishing and habitat destruction, and that we haven’t stopped. You’ll be depressed at the end. Read it anyway.
February 13, 2023
A must read for anyone living close to puget sound or honestly anyone interested in the impact humans are having on that beautiful world; the waterways and oceans on our planet. I never thought I would be so captivated to read about kelp, geoducks, salmon and the age that rockfish can reach. Learnt a lot from this book and it did create a new perspective for me as I walk and live in Seattle.
September 6, 2024
Great read for anyone interested in the natural history of the PNW. Each chapter had its own focus (ie kelp forests, herring, salmon, etc) while painting a clear picture of how things all fit together. The other did a great job providing just the right amount of detail to keep things interesting without getting lost in the weeds
May 7, 2021
4.0 / 5.0
Well written broad Overview of Ecology of Puget Sound. History Geology Archeology all touched on. Very little about white settlement except as it relates to ecological balance. Enjoyable and informative without being critical or polemical regarding some sensitive topics,
Well written broad Overview of Ecology of Puget Sound. History Geology Archeology all touched on. Very little about white settlement except as it relates to ecological balance. Enjoyable and informative without being critical or polemical regarding some sensitive topics,
January 28, 2022
Waffled a lot between a 4 and a 5. I loved the mix of geology, biology, and anthropology in this book and I learned a ton about the Sound. But despite how interesting the subject matter was it was a bit dry at times.
January 6, 2024
3.5 but I rounded up because it was so well researched.
I ate up the first 1/3 but then it took me forever to finish the rest. I don't have a huge interest in marine life so I think it was just a mismatch of interests. Still, well written, documented, and researched
I ate up the first 1/3 but then it took me forever to finish the rest. I don't have a huge interest in marine life so I think it was just a mismatch of interests. Still, well written, documented, and researched
November 14, 2024
Super engaging and enjoyable read. Impressively balanced given its wide subject matter. I would recommend this to anyone interested and especially anyone from or living around the Puget Sound/Salish Sea area. Very enlightening and motivating. Just wish it was longer!
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