The estuarine fauna and their habitats in Padilla Bay, Washington, have been the subject of a variety of studies during the last 20 years, although there has been no review or synthesis of these studies. Concern for the habitats along the coasts of the United States has increased in recent years. To address this concern, several classification schemes have been proposed for coastal habitats (Ray 1975; Cowardin et al. 1979; Dethier 1990; Simenstad et al. 1991). Recently, Ray (1994) has proposed a Coastal Habitat Classification Scheme to provide an overall framework for evaluating coastal habitats. An early step in this process of evaluating coastal habitats is the collection and summary of existing information. The objective of this report is to collect the available data on habitats in Padilla Bay, Washington, and to review the information relevant to the habitats identified in the Coastal Habitat Classification Scheme.

As the global rate of marine introductions increases, exotic species exert greater economic and ecological impacts, affecting ecosystems and human health. The complexity of marine ecosystems challenges our ability to find easy solutions to prevention, management, and control of introductions. This book highlights issues of timely importance in marine bioinvasion science. Selected topics explore the potential evolutionary consequences and ecological impacts of introduced organisms, examine the feasibility of biological control, and describe patterns of introduction. These papers were presented at the Second International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions, which featured new marine invasion research from around the world. These papers should be of interest to scientists, students, and managers with an interest in marine bioinvasions and the application of knowledge to management concerns.