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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Density-Dependent Habitat Limitations For Juvenile Chinook Salmon In Large River Deltas Of Puget Sound, Dr. Correigh Greene Apr 2022

Density-Dependent Habitat Limitations For Juvenile Chinook Salmon In Large River Deltas Of Puget Sound, Dr. Correigh Greene

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Efforts by people to restrain tidal inundation to promote agriculture and development has led to large amounts of tidal wetland habitat loss in large river deltas across the Pacific coast. Concomitant declines in these populations have raised questions about the extent to which juvenile Chinook salmon compete for limited estuary habitat and how estuary restoration will help recover populations. To examine the potential for habitat limitation, we used a cross-system approach to combine outmigrant and population density data in four large river deltas of Puget Sound. By adjusting outmigration abundance to natural-origin outmigrants/ha of delta channel, we were able to …

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Climate Impacts To Groundwater Ponding And Salinity – Stillaguamish And Snohomish, Daniel Elefant, Pe Apr 2022

Climate Impacts To Groundwater Ponding And Salinity – Stillaguamish And Snohomish, Daniel Elefant, Pe

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Climate Impacts to Groundwater Ponding and Salinity – This engineering and geomorphology team collaborated with the Snohomish Conservation District (SCD) to assess localized and regional climate impacts to groundwater in the lower Stillaguamish and Snohomish River basins. The work contributed to a larger land use and community planning framework seeking solutions that promote both salmon and agricultural resiliency. Results of the assessment were presented to the local community via a series of sessions intentionally designed to facilitate climate change communication and education between the conservation district, flood control districts, Snohomish County, farmers, conservationists, scientists, and engineers. Each session began with …

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Improving The Use Of Science In Collaborative Ecosystem Restoration: Government And Non-Government Knowledge Brokers, Tom Koontz Apr 2022

Improving The Use Of Science In Collaborative Ecosystem Restoration: Government And Non-Government Knowledge Brokers, Tom Koontz

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

To address complex socio-ecological system challenges, policy makers and managers throughout the Salish Sea, and around the world, increasingly seek collaborative approaches. At the same time, the climate emergency and other environmental threats have drawn greater attention to science and its role in responding to these threats. Scientists are working to not only expand knowledge, but to put it into practice. What are the barriers and opportunities for bridging science and collaboration? In this comparative case study we examine how scientific research is valued, acquired, evaluated, and applied in collaborative ecosystem restoration. We gather data from three different types of …

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Developing The Ka:’Yu:’K’T’H’/Che:K’Tles7et’H’ First Nations Stewardship Program, Erica Olson Apr 2022

Developing The Ka:’Yu:’K’T’H’/Che:K’Tles7et’H’ First Nations Stewardship Program, Erica Olson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Over the past two centuries, the combined impacts of resource extraction, over-harvesting, and government policy has adversely impacted environmental health within Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations’ (KCFN) territory, and impaired KCFN members’ ability to utilize resources to harvest foods and medicines, and for cultural and other purposes. In response, KCFN has created a Stewardship Program to monitor and safeguard ecological and cultural resources, to document and/or deter human activities, and to establish a presence in the territory. In the first year of the program, Stewardship staff acquired equipment, conducted training, and carried out an initial set of activities, including boat-based patrols of …

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Salish Sea Marine Survival Project: Putting Findings Into Action For The Future Of Salmon, Jacques White Apr 2022

Salish Sea Marine Survival Project: Putting Findings Into Action For The Future Of Salmon, Jacques White

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea Marine Survival Project (SSMSP, https://marinesurvivalproject.com) published its final Synthesis Report in 2021, summarizing key findings and recommendations from over 5 years of research into the causes of poor marine survival for Salish Sea Chinook, coho, and steelhead salmon. The project, led by Long Live the Kings in the U.S. and the Pacific Salmon Foundation in Canada, united more than sixty regional and international partners to enable one of the most comprehensive assessments of the Salish Sea ecosystem. It offers a critically important model for large-scale scientific collaborations addressing systemic, transboundary questions. This presentation summarizes the SSMSP’s approach …

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Neighbourhood Vs. Individual Property Scale Coastal Protection: A Case Study In Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Jessica Wilson, Grant Lamont Apr 2022

Neighbourhood Vs. Individual Property Scale Coastal Protection: A Case Study In Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Jessica Wilson, Grant Lamont

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Individual property owners throughout the Salish Sea are faced with the need to adapt their shorelines to accommodate potentially degradative coastal processes, such as sea level rise and erosion. Simultaneously, there is a wide-spread push towards natural and nature-based approaches to coastal protection; however, these types of approaches (such as beach nourishments) are often ill-suited for implementation on individual properties, with frontages typically less than 100 m long. This challenge typically requires undesirable trade-offs during design to accommodate the physical constraints of an individual property. Alternatively, designs may be implemented on a neighbourhood-scale with fewer design trade-offs, and spreading both …

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One Island, One Earth: Exploring Island Ecological Footprints And Fingerprints, Michelle Thompson, Adam Huggins Apr 2022

One Island, One Earth: Exploring Island Ecological Footprints And Fingerprints, Michelle Thompson, Adam Huggins

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Island communities have frequently been portrayed as passive victims of the climate crisis, but are also often considered to be models for the development of social capital and community resilience. As such, small island communities - like those in the Salish Sea - present unique challenges and opportunities in terms of evaluating community preparedness and adaptation to the climate crisis. The ecological footprint concept has long been employed in urban centers throughout our region as a powerful tool for understanding land and resource use in the context of climate change, but until recently has not been applied to small island …

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Downscaling Future Climate Models For Local Flood And Socioeconomic Exposure Across The Salish Sea With The Coastal Storm Modeling System (Cosmos), Dr. Patrick Barnard Apr 2022

Downscaling Future Climate Models For Local Flood And Socioeconomic Exposure Across The Salish Sea With The Coastal Storm Modeling System (Cosmos), Dr. Patrick Barnard

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The U.S. Geological Survey Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) is being developed for the Salish Sea to evaluate flood hazards at a scale of 1 m to support coastal planning into the next century. CoSMoS computes extreme water levels and flooding accounting for projected sea level rise and climate change effects on river floods and storms. Modeled tides and storm surge show a mean absolute error of 10 cm across NOAA and USGS tide gages over the hindcast period 2018-2019. Model forcings deconstructed over a 1985-2015 hindcast indicate that storm surge inside Puget Sound is driven primarily by atmospheric pressure …

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Deriving Phytoplankton Community Composition In The Salish Sea Using Chemtax And Olci Sentinel 3 Data, Vishnu P. Suseelan Apr 2022

Deriving Phytoplankton Community Composition In The Salish Sea Using Chemtax And Olci Sentinel 3 Data, Vishnu P. Suseelan

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Seasonal and spatial variability in phytoplankton community composition in the Salish Sea was investigated between the spring and summer of 2018 and 2019. Surface water for the measurements for HPLC pigments and coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM), total suspended matter (TSM) concentration were collected from (~2 m depth) using a water pumping system installed on the ferry Queen of Alberni. At the same time, an above-water radiometer was installed on the bow of the ferry to measure the water-leaving radiance. The surface bio-geochemical variables such as TChla, CDOM, and TSM concentration has demonstrated a remarkable spatial and seasonal variability. In …

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Shoreline Armor Removal To Restore Variability In Intertidal Ecosystems, Dr. Simone Des Roches Apr 2022

Shoreline Armor Removal To Restore Variability In Intertidal Ecosystems, Dr. Simone Des Roches

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Humans have modified marine nearshore ecosystems through the construction of shoreline armoring. Armoring, in the form of seawalls and bulkheads, reduces the mean abundance and quantity of key biological features of shoreline ecosystems, such as the coverage, depth, and composition of beach wrack, the number of beached logs, and the density and richness of supratidal invertebrates. Armoring also affects the physical and biological composition and diversity of shoreline ecosystems and communities – altering the makeup of sediments, beach wrack, and invertebrates, for example. Less is known, however, about changes in the amount of variability – both over time and space …

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Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force Recommendations: Moving Forward With Recovery, Tara Galuska Apr 2022

Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force Recommendations: Moving Forward With Recovery, Tara Galuska

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force Recommendations: Moving forward with recovery The grace, beauty and iconic nature of Southern Resident killer whales resonate with all of us around the Salish Sea, yet their declines are alarming. These orcas face multiple complex threats: lack of food, primarily salmon, disturbance and noise from vessel traffic and toxic contaminants, in addition to climate change and a growing population. Washington State Governor, Jay Inslee, signed Executive Order 18-02: Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force in 2018. Through the executive order, state agencies were directed to implement immediate actions to benefit the whales. …

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Spatial And Temporal Variation In The Biofilm Communities On Two Cultivated Kelp Species, Katherine Davis, Logan Zeinert, Allison Byrne, Joth Davis, Cosmo Roemer, Michael Wright, Laura Wegener Parfrey Apr 2022

Spatial And Temporal Variation In The Biofilm Communities On Two Cultivated Kelp Species, Katherine Davis, Logan Zeinert, Allison Byrne, Joth Davis, Cosmo Roemer, Michael Wright, Laura Wegener Parfrey

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Kelp cultivation is gaining interest in the Salish Sea region for both commercial mariculture and habitat restoration applications. The selection of appropriate cultivation sites in coastal waters is essential for the establishment of restored kelp populations or successful mariculture harvests. Microbial communities which form biofilms on kelp surfaces are increasingly recognized as important links to metrics of kelp health. Yet there is little knowledge about the microbial communities associated with kelps produced in hatchery systems and how these communities change when the host is outplanted and grows at aquculture or restoration sites in coastal waters. Here, we characterized the microbial …

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Before And After Sea Star Wasting Disease: Subtidal Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia Helianthoides) Observations In The Central Us Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Melissa Sanchez Apr 2022

Before And After Sea Star Wasting Disease: Subtidal Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia Helianthoides) Observations In The Central Us Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Melissa Sanchez

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Between 2013 and 2015, a sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epidemic led to a large die-off affecting over 20 species of sea stars from Alaska to Baja California. The impacts of SSWD to intertidal populations have been well documented but we know much less about its impact on subtidal species, including the critically endangered sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides). We assessed sunflower star abundance using towed underwater imagery along 50 km of the central southern Strait of Juan de Fuca. Annual surveys were completed between 2010 and 2017 and again in 2020, allowing us to compare populations before and after the …

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Determining The Prey Consumption, Preferences, And Potential For Dietary Overlap Between Invasive European Green Crab And Native Graceful Crab In The Salish Sea, Brett Howard Apr 2022

Determining The Prey Consumption, Preferences, And Potential For Dietary Overlap Between Invasive European Green Crab And Native Graceful Crab In The Salish Sea, Brett Howard

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The global success of the invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is due, in part, to its broad diet, with over 140 different genera consumed worldwide. However, very little of this information comes directly from populations in the Salish Sea and it is unclear the degree to which green crab select prey vs consuming what is readily available. Additionally, almost nothing is known about the diet of graceful crab (Metacarcinus gracilis), a common, co-occurring native species which may compete with green crabs. Although studies have hypothesized that graceful crabs may specialize on soft-bodied prey, this study is the first to …

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Adult Chinook Salmon Diets Delineate Regions With Distinct Forage Assemblages In The Salish Sea, Wesley Greentree Apr 2022

Adult Chinook Salmon Diets Delineate Regions With Distinct Forage Assemblages In The Salish Sea, Wesley Greentree

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Forage fish are an important link between zooplankton and higher trophic levels, including marine mammals and economically valuable predatory fish. However, forage fish are often difficult to assess using traditional fishery-independent surveys, resulting in major data gaps for both commercially important and non-exploited species. In the Salish Sea, there are many data gaps about the distribution and regional importance of forage fish and other forage species (e.g., juvenile Gadiformes, euphausiids, crustacean larvae). We used the diet composition of adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), a generalist predator, to examine the spatial structure of forage assemblages in the Canadian Salish Sea from …

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Levels Of Dissolved Oxygen And Chlorophyll In Possession Sound In 2021, Daniela Torres Apr 2022

Levels Of Dissolved Oxygen And Chlorophyll In Possession Sound In 2021, Daniela Torres

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Dissolved oxygen (DO) in the marine ecosystem is a factor that impacts not only the quality of the water but also the health of marine life. Low oxygen in the water can lead to hypoxic conditions, which is harmful and can result in fatality of marine organisms. The levels of DO can influence primary productivity and respiration. We use chlorophyll to help us reach an estimated amount of primary productivity that is in that specific area. This study took place in Possession Sound, WA, which has a rich biodiversity and a main freshwater source from the mouth of the Snohomish …

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Ecosystem Impacts Of Moon Jelly (Aurelia Labiata) Aggregations In Puget Sound, Washington, Haila Schultz, Julie Keister, Correigh Greene, Kathryn Sobocinski, Rus Higley Apr 2022

Ecosystem Impacts Of Moon Jelly (Aurelia Labiata) Aggregations In Puget Sound, Washington, Haila Schultz, Julie Keister, Correigh Greene, Kathryn Sobocinski, Rus Higley

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Over the past several decades, increased abundances of jellyfish have been reported globally. However, the role of jellyfish in marine food webs is not well understood. In Puget Sound, large aggregations of the moon jelly Aurelia labiata are seasonally abundant in protected embayments. These aggregations contain millions of individuals and can cover broad areas. Aurelia may compete with culturally, economically, and ecologically important fish for zooplankton prey and alter water column chemistry by releasing nitrogenous waste, but the extent of these interactions are still unknown. To address the question of how Aurelia aggregations affect zooplankton communities and water chemistry, we …

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Investigating The Impacts Of Commercial Anchorages On Benthic Ecosystems, Cathryn Clarke-Murray Apr 2022

Investigating The Impacts Of Commercial Anchorages On Benthic Ecosystems, Cathryn Clarke-Murray

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The expanding shipping industry has led to escalating use of commercial anchorages, with ships spending more time at anchorage and spreading to previously little used areas. Coastal communities have expressed concerns about anchorage stressors including visual pollution, noise, light, contaminant discharges, and seabed impacts. A recent Pathways of Effects conceptual model identified a range of possible effects of anchoring on physical habitats and marine biota but documented only a few scientific studies globally, with the focus on shallow recreational boat anchoring. Anchorages are often situated in soft sediment areas; understudied ecosystems with high diversity which play an important role in …

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The Effects Of Individual Characteristics And Ocean Conditions On The Reproductive Phenology And Demography Of Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus Columba) On Protection Island, Wa, Amanda Warlick Apr 2022

The Effects Of Individual Characteristics And Ocean Conditions On The Reproductive Phenology And Demography Of Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus Columba) On Protection Island, Wa, Amanda Warlick

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba), one of the only alcids that nests in the Salish Sea, has been identified as an indicator species by the Puget Sound Environmental Monitoring Program. Indicator status is based on Salish Sea abundance and trend, and abundance estimates suggest that the population remains stable. However, little is known about demographic rates, limiting our ability to understand how populations may respond to a changing Salish Sea ecosystem. Based on a 15-year study monitoring color-banded individuals at approximately 40 nest boxes at Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, we estimated demographic rates and examined how life history traits …

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Killer Whale Microbiomes For Health Assessment, Linda Rhodes Apr 2022

Killer Whale Microbiomes For Health Assessment, Linda Rhodes

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

All organisms are hosts for a universe of microbes ("microbiome"), and the relationship is overwhelmingly neutral or mutually beneficial. When we evaluate the health status of a free-ranging animal such as killer whales or salmon, it typically includes searching for pathogens. But this approach tends to generate many negative results unless there are signs to suggest a particular pathogen. An alternative approach is examining the associated microbiomes, which are coupled to the host's physiology and varies depending on location on the host. Although the opportunity to collect samples from Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) has always been limited, non-invasive samples …

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Analysis Of Tidal Stage Impact On Harbor Seal Haul-Out Behavior In The Snohomish River Estuary Of The Salish Sea, Maddy Baird Apr 2022

Analysis Of Tidal Stage Impact On Harbor Seal Haul-Out Behavior In The Snohomish River Estuary Of The Salish Sea, Maddy Baird

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Harbor seals fill a critical role in the balance of the Salish Sea. They occupy the middle of the food chain where Bigg’s Killer Whales use them as a source of food, and they also compete with Resident Killer Whales for salmon. Prey availability is known to be a strong indicator of seal presence, however, there are many more subtle environmental influences on harbor seal presence as well. This study hones in on the harbor seals of the Snohomish River Estuary and how their haul-out habits might be influenced by the unique water circulation of the area. This study analyzed …

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Unusual Open Water Grouping Behavior In Salish Sea Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina Richardii), Trevor Derie Apr 2022

Unusual Open Water Grouping Behavior In Salish Sea Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina Richardii), Trevor Derie

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Most pinniped species are relatively solitary when in water, but some species, most notably the otariids, will form large groupings (referred to as rafts) in open water for thermoregulation or rest, as well as participating in group foraging behaviors. Alternatively, individuals of many species may concentrate in one area, forming foraging aggregations when prey are in high abundance. Open water grouping behavior that is distanced from haulout sites is less common in phocid species, and in particular has not been documented in the literature for harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii). In the Salish Sea, the inland waters of Washington, United …

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Impacts Of Egregia Menziesii, A Foundational Alga, On Intertidal Communities In The San Juan Islands, Angelina Zuelow Apr 2022

Impacts Of Egregia Menziesii, A Foundational Alga, On Intertidal Communities In The San Juan Islands, Angelina Zuelow

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Canopy-forming seaweeds provide shade for smaller algae and invertebrates in intertidal communities, ameliorating low tide abiotic stressors such as ultraviolet radiation, desiccation, and high temperatures. Conversely, canopies can negatively affect understory organisms by limiting settlement, causing physical disruption, and trapping sand. We examined the effect of Egregia menziesii, a canopy-forming foundation species, on intertidal communities, using manipulative experiments at Cattle Point, San Juan Island, WA. We hypothesized that plots with Egregia would have a higher abundance and richness of other invertebrates and algae than plots without Egregia. In the field, we set up 20 low intertidal plots, each 0.25m2 in …

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Abnormal Salinity And Temperature Profiles: Conditions Of Plankton, Ayesha Toor Apr 2022

Abnormal Salinity And Temperature Profiles: Conditions Of Plankton, Ayesha Toor

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Plankton species tend to have a set of conditions that make certain environments ideal for that species to thrive to its highest capability. By focusing on factors such as salinity and temperature, the health of an environment can be tracked based on the consistency of those numbers and its overall impact on marine species’. Plankton being an important part of underwater food chains, as they are commonly eaten amongst other marine species, makes the understanding of their ability to survive in certain circumstances crucial to sustaining a healthy underwater ecosystem. Presented is an accumulation of data taken from various sites …

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Taking Stock Of Chinook Salmon Energy Densities Has Implications For Resident Killer Whales Meeting Their Energy Needs, Jacob E. Lerner, Brian P. V. Hunt Apr 2022

Taking Stock Of Chinook Salmon Energy Densities Has Implications For Resident Killer Whales Meeting Their Energy Needs, Jacob E. Lerner, Brian P. V. Hunt

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) rely on large reserves of energy accumulated at sea to complete their journey upstream, mature reproductively, and spawn. In part due to these energy reserves, Chinook are the primary prey species for resident killer whales. However, energy density has been shown to vary significantly among Chinook populations, indicating that data on stock specific energy density are necessary to assess whether available prey can meet resident killer whale energy requirements. In this study, we sought to derive stock specific estimates of Southern British Columbia Chinook energy density. To begin, we evaluated a microwave energy meter as a …

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European Green Crab (Carcinus Maenas) Predation In Puget Sound Estuaries, Mary Fisher Apr 2022

European Green Crab (Carcinus Maenas) Predation In Puget Sound Estuaries, Mary Fisher

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

First detected in the Puget Sound, WA, in 2016, European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is a damaging invasive species outside of its native range in the northeastern Atlantic. There are substantial concerns around the species’ potential ecological impacts to the Salish Sea should it become established, including degradation of eelgrass and estuarine habitats and significant alteration of food webs. However, it can be difficult to assess the trophic impacts of introduced species in newly invaded areas, where populations are small or not yet fully established; in situ observations of crab predation are also complicated by the crab mastication process, which …

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Covid-19 And The Srkws: A New Suite Of Problems Facing The Critically Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales In The Salish Sea, Erin Casellas, Alanna Frayne Apr 2022

Covid-19 And The Srkws: A New Suite Of Problems Facing The Critically Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales In The Salish Sea, Erin Casellas, Alanna Frayne

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW, Orcinus orca) may be found year-round in the Salish Sea. These killer whales comprise three matrilineal pods (J, K, and L) and were listed as Endangered under the Canadian Species at Risk Act in 2003 and under the United States Endangered Species Act in 2005 due to prey scarcity, vessel noise and disturbance, small population size, and exposure to toxins. Through federal, state and local regulations vessel disturbance has been mitigated by increased approach distances, reduced speeds, increased on-the-water enforcement, limitations of the number of commercial whale watching boats allowed to be with a group …

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Effects Of Vessel Presence On Northern Resident Killer Whale Rubbing Behaviour, Varsha Rani Apr 2022

Effects Of Vessel Presence On Northern Resident Killer Whale Rubbing Behaviour, Varsha Rani

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The presence of vessels in the ocean has a significant impact on marine mammals, including highly cultural species such as northern resident killer whales (NRKWs). NRKW engage in beach rubbing, a unique social behaviour where individuals approach shallow pebble beaches to rub against the stones. During rubbing bouts, the whales are exposed and vulnerable to disturbance. To investigate the effects of vessel disturbance on this important cultural behaviour, the initiation of rubbing and rubbing bout length were examined in relation to vessel presence and proximity. In July and August, for years 2020 and 2021, data were collected from an elevated …

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Characterization Of Northern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus Orca) Call Types And Source Levels During Beach Rubbing, Madeleine Bouvier Apr 2022

Characterization Of Northern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus Orca) Call Types And Source Levels During Beach Rubbing, Madeleine Bouvier

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Robson Bight Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve (RBMBER) is located within the Northern Resident killer whale (NRKW) population’s critical habitat. A recognized social behaviour of the NRKW population is “beach rubbing”, where individuals will come into the shallows of particular beaches to rub their bodies on smooth pebbles. During beach rubbing, the whales are considered to be more sensitive to disturbance. The physical presence of vessels, as well as the noise from vessel engines has the potential to disturb NRKW and interfere with this sensitive behaviour. To reduce the likelihood of disturbance and protect this important cultural behaviour, recreational vessel …

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Eyes On The Water: Citizen Science In The Salish Sea, Susie Washington-Smyth Apr 2022

Eyes On The Water: Citizen Science In The Salish Sea, Susie Washington-Smyth

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The knowledge and expertise of local communities is often ignored or underused in planning for protected species. This is a success story of citizen science collaboration, although the catalyst for this project was driven by the lack of reliable year-round data on Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) and how they use their designated critical habitat. This data, particularly in the high traffic areas of Boundary Pass, Active Pass and Strait of Georgia, is critical to make informed management decisions for this endangered species. Frustrated, community groups capitalized on their considerable local knowledge about the marine ecosystem, and the SRKW, to …

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