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Salish Sea name back in play – Metro US

Salish Sea name back in play

West Coast waters could soon be united under the name Salish Sea after a two-decade-old proposal was revived.

The idea calls for the connected waters of the Georgia Strait, Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca to be co-operatively called the Salish Sea, although the old names would remain when referring to the individual waterways.

Western Washington University Prof. Bert Webber re-introduced the idea on May 15 to Washington’s Board of Geographic Names.

Webber first introduced the idea in 1991, but his proposal received negative reviews and was voluntarily withdrawn at the time.

Board executive secretary Caleb Maki said Washington’s Board of Geographic Names would spend the next six months considering the idea in consultation with the British Columbia government.

“Board members seem fairly supportive of the new name. People are using this term already and we’re not going to stop them. There’s no name police,” said Maki yesterday.