All but the Queets continue to live there. For centuries each tribe harvested marine mammals, fish, shellfish, and seaweed. Speculation suggests that petroglyphs of whales and other images in boulders at different sites along the shore indicate the importance of the sea's bounty to the area's early inhabitants. Diving, fishing, wildlife observation and whaling watching are popular recreational uses of the sanctuary. Sport and commercial fishing for salmon, halibut, rockfish, flatfish, cod, crabs, and other shellfish is an important segment of the local economy.
Ships carrying fish, lumber, grain, and other cargo traverse the length of sanctuary waters.
In addition, over a million people visit the beaches and seaside trails to hike, camp, and go beach combing. The photo gallery contains images which portray only a small portion of the living and physical resources of the sanctuary. In addition, it portrays some of the major uses of the sanctuary and images of preparations for the 1999 sustainable seas expedition. For a more detailed description of the marvels of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary visit the Olympic Coast description on the Marine Sanctuaries section of this site. The Living Sanctuary presents 17 photos depicting marine mammals, fish, birds, and invertebrates.