Unattended Death and Biohazard Cleanup in Sekiu, WA

Sekiu is a small unincorporated fishing village and census-designated place in Clallam County, on the northern shore of Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

It overlooks the west side of Clallam Bay and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and is twinned with the community of Clallam Bay on the opposite, eastern side of the bay.

The name first appeared as 'Sekou Point' on Henry Kellett's chart of 1846, and the village was first settled in 1879 by J. A. Martin, who attempted to establish a salmon cannery there.

Leather tanning and logging were Sekiu's other early industries, before recreational fishing came to define the community.

Sekiu first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2010 census, with 27 residents; the 2020 census counted 24, making it one of Washington's least populous census places.

The CDP covers only about 0.13 square miles — essentially the waterfront village core — at an elevation of about 20 feet.

Sekiu is known primarily as a summer destination for fishing in Marine Area 5 — salmon, halibut, lingcod, rockfish and other bottomfish — along with kayaking, diving, birdwatching, and whale watching from the Sekiu overlook.

In May 2025 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife purchased the Sekiu boat launch property for about $2.4 million; it is the only developed launch for motorized boats along the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Neah Bay and Port Angeles.

Sekiu Airport lies one mile west of the village and offers a 2,997-foot lighted runway at an elevation of 350 feet.

Sekiu has a marine west coast climate with mild temperatures — averaging roughly 41 °F in winter and 58 °F in summer — and more than 80 inches of precipitation in an average year.