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Articles 1261 - 1290 of 2456

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Salish Sea Marine Survival Project: Juvenile Salmonid Growth And Survival, Michael W. Schmidt Apr 2018

The Salish Sea Marine Survival Project: Juvenile Salmonid Growth And Survival, Michael W. Schmidt

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

No abstract provided.

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The Effects Of Diluted Bitumen (Dilbit) Exposure During Embryonic Development On The Future Swimming Performance And Metabolic And Ionic Recovery Post-Exercise In Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka), Feng Lin, Chris Kennedy Apr 2018

The Effects Of Diluted Bitumen (Dilbit) Exposure During Embryonic Development On The Future Swimming Performance And Metabolic And Ionic Recovery Post-Exercise In Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka), Feng Lin, Chris Kennedy

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Expansions in the transportation of diluted bitumen (dilbit) products in coastal regions of British Columbia potentially increase the risk of exposure of early life stage (ELS) Pacific salmon by both acute as well as sublethal effects. The objective of present study was to investigate the effects of dilbit exposure (from the embryonic to swim-up sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) on their swimming performance and exercise recovery at later life stages (juveniles). Embryos were exposed to 4 concentrations (0, 13.7, 34.7 and 124.5 μg/L total PAH [TPAH]) of the dissolved fraction of Cold Lake Winter Blend dilbit immediately following fertilization until swim-up. The …

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Watershed Assessment Modelling To Identify Critical Sources Of Pollution And Evaluate Effectiveness Of Conservation Management Practices, Nichole Embertson, Meagan Harris, Andrew Phay Apr 2018

Watershed Assessment Modelling To Identify Critical Sources Of Pollution And Evaluate Effectiveness Of Conservation Management Practices, Nichole Embertson, Meagan Harris, Andrew Phay

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Critical watershed assessments allow land managers to create strategic plans and prioritize funding and technical assistance when resources are limited. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) provides a framework for watershed assessment to support long-term, strategic watershed planning and prioritize resources. The Tenmile Watershed in the Nooksack Basin in Whatcom County was selected as a pilot watershed for the NWQI assessment for Washington State in 2017. The primary objective of this assessment was to identify critical source areas (CSAs) within the watershed that were most susceptible to nutrient, sediment and bacteria export based on physical …

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Collaborative Solutions To Riparian Protection And Restoration In The Chimacum Creek Watershed, Sarah Doyle Apr 2018

Collaborative Solutions To Riparian Protection And Restoration In The Chimacum Creek Watershed, Sarah Doyle

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

For several decades, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition (NOSC) has been working with agricultural producers in the Chimacum Creek Watershed to plant riparian buffers and restore salmon habitat. In recent years, NOSC and partners have had difficulty engaging landowners to participate in riparian restoration and protection programs due to issues regarding drainage, reed canary grass and beaver damage. To help guide us in how to address these barriers to landowner willingness, NOSC partnered with local entities to develop a Chimacum Creek Protection and Restoration Strategy. Since the strategy has been implemented, four priority farms are now being considered for protection …

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Washington State Phase I County Watershed-Scale Stormwater Planning Studies: A Long Term Plan To Identify Stormwater Management Strategies To Improve Receiving Waters, Dan Gariépy, Andy Rheaume Apr 2018

Washington State Phase I County Watershed-Scale Stormwater Planning Studies: A Long Term Plan To Identify Stormwater Management Strategies To Improve Receiving Waters, Dan Gariépy, Andy Rheaume

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Washington State Department of Ecology’s 2013-2018 NPDES Municipal Stormwater permittees conducted detailed hydrologic modeling studies to demonstrate how planned development could be accommodated while restoring the beneficial and designated uses to the receiving waters in urbanized watersheds. The jurisdictions used modeling tools including HSPF hydrologic modeling, in-stream ecological targets, and cost optimization tool to determine the most cost effective set of infrastructure to achieve in-stream ecological targets). This talk focusses on the lessons learned from those plans, looking across the plans for similarities and differences. Each of the four counties (Snohomish, King, Pierce, Clark) selected a medium sized (10+ square …

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A Practical And Informative Sandpiper Monitoring Procedure For The Salish Sea, Ronald Ydenberg, Dov B. Lank, Richard Johnston, David Hope, Rachel Canham Apr 2018

A Practical And Informative Sandpiper Monitoring Procedure For The Salish Sea, Ronald Ydenberg, Dov B. Lank, Richard Johnston, David Hope, Rachel Canham

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea contains important sites for shorebirds, including migrants and winter residents. There is a need for practical, informative and easily-applied monitoring procedures and goals. Counts at stopover sites are on their own uninformative, because they are strongly affected by factors unseen by local observers. A fall in the usage of a site might signal a global population decline, but could also be due to a reduction of that site’s quality, to an increase in site quality elsewhere such that some birds redistribute, or to changes in migratory behavior. A good framework for assessing the health of shorebird populations …

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Snoqualmie Valley Agricultural Production District Riparian Restoration And Ag Partnership Building: Emds Pilot Project, Kollin Higgins Apr 2018

Snoqualmie Valley Agricultural Production District Riparian Restoration And Ag Partnership Building: Emds Pilot Project, Kollin Higgins

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

This project occurred at the tail end of a broader King County engagement effort in the Snoqualmie River Valley between farming, fish, and flood risk reduction interests that recognized large scale riparian restoration could have a broad effect on the amount of land being used for agriculture. King County worked with the US Forest Service, the King Conservation District and local farmers to develop an Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) model to transparently and quantitatively evaluate the value of 10 miles of the Snoqualmie River for riparian restoration and agricultural land value. This approach allowed the county to focus its …

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If You Build It, They Will Come: Marine Habitat Provided By A Wastewater Outfall, Kimberle Stark, Jeffrey Lundt, Wendy Eash-Loucks Apr 2018

If You Build It, They Will Come: Marine Habitat Provided By A Wastewater Outfall, Kimberle Stark, Jeffrey Lundt, Wendy Eash-Loucks

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

King County built a new marine outfall in 2008 that discharges treated wastewater effluent to the Puget Sound Central Basin about 1.6 kilometers offshore at a depth of 183 meters (m). The outfall consists of two 1.6 m diameter HDPE pipes weighted with concrete anchors. To assess the artificial reef effect of the exposed pipes and its use as habitat by marine organisms, underwater video has been collected annually since 2009 at the shallower depths (to -91 m MLLW). Initial video showed rapid colonization by barnacles and other invertebrates. Several rockfish species have routinely been seen on the pipes, particularly …

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The Chemical And Biological Effectiveness Of Bioretention For Preventing Sublethal And Lethal Toxicity In Coho Embryos Exposed Episodically To Urban Stormwater Runoff During Development, Jenifer K. Mcintyre, Jessica I. Lundin, Jay W. Davis, John Incardona, Julann Spromberg, Nathaniel L. Scholz Apr 2018

The Chemical And Biological Effectiveness Of Bioretention For Preventing Sublethal And Lethal Toxicity In Coho Embryos Exposed Episodically To Urban Stormwater Runoff During Development, Jenifer K. Mcintyre, Jessica I. Lundin, Jay W. Davis, John Incardona, Julann Spromberg, Nathaniel L. Scholz

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) includes an evolving set of technologies to mitigate the physical and chemical habitat degradation that results from urban runoff entering aquatic ecosystems. Bioretention is a common GSI approach, used, for example in rain gardens, to infiltrate stormwater runoff into soils prior to or instead of discharging into a water body. Initial research has shown that bioretention is biologically effective for preventing most toxicity from urban runoff exposure, but initial trials used fresh bioretention soil media (BSM) with less than 5 repeated treatments. Does bioretention continue to be biologically effective at preventing toxicity over more treatment events? …

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Effects Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) On Pacific Herring (Clupea Pallasii) Embryos Exposed To Creosote-Treated Pilings Related To A Piling Removal Project In Quilcene Bay, Washington, James E. West, Andrea J. Carey, Gina Maria Ylitalo, John Incardona, Laurie A. Niewolny, Jennifer Lanksbury, Sandra M. O'Neill Apr 2018

Effects Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) On Pacific Herring (Clupea Pallasii) Embryos Exposed To Creosote-Treated Pilings Related To A Piling Removal Project In Quilcene Bay, Washington, James E. West, Andrea J. Carey, Gina Maria Ylitalo, John Incardona, Laurie A. Niewolny, Jennifer Lanksbury, Sandra M. O'Neill

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Fish embryos spawned in Puget Sound nearshore marine habitats face a risk of exposure to a wide variety of toxic chemical pollutants during their incubation. Of particular concern are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemicals originating from oil spills, combusted fossil fuels, and creosote-treated pilings (CTPs). Removal of CTPs and prohibiting their use in marine waters are two recovery practices aimed at reducing PAHs and other creosote-related chemicals in marine waters. We used manually spawned and field-deployed Pacific herring embryos as a sensitive indicator of PAH exposure from CTPs, to test the efficacy of a CTP removal project in Quilcene Bay …

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Constructing A Multi-Jurisdictional Watershed-Scale Stormwater And Habitat Recovery Plan For Bear Creek, Jeff Burkey, Timothy Clark Apr 2018

Constructing A Multi-Jurisdictional Watershed-Scale Stormwater And Habitat Recovery Plan For Bear Creek, Jeff Burkey, Timothy Clark

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

King County recently finalized the Bear Creek Watershed-scale Stormwater Management Plan. Bear Creek has impaired water quality and hydrology and degraded instream, riparian, and wetland habitats. The Bear Creek watershed includes several jurisdictions, including two cities and two counties. King County and its partners held several public and technical meetings to receive and incorporate feedback from watershed residents, tribes, non-governmental organizations, and state agencies. King County led the collaborative effort to evaluate existing water quality, hydrological, and habitat conditions, model future conditions based on forecasted growth and development, and recommend actions and strategies to achieve the defined watershed goals. Recommended …

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Waterbird Monitoring And Habitat Association Modeling To Inform Tidal Marsh Restoration In An Urbanized Estuary, Susan De La Cruz, Lacy M. Smith, Stacy Moskal, Cheryl Strong, John Krause, Yiwei Wang, John Yutaka Takekawa Apr 2018

Waterbird Monitoring And Habitat Association Modeling To Inform Tidal Marsh Restoration In An Urbanized Estuary, Susan De La Cruz, Lacy M. Smith, Stacy Moskal, Cheryl Strong, John Krause, Yiwei Wang, John Yutaka Takekawa

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The San Francisco Bay (SFB), like many other urbanized estuaries, is a critical wintering and stop-over area for migratory waterbirds. More than a million wintering waterbirds annually rely on a mosaic of natural and managed habitats in SFB, including former salt ponds. The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project plans restore 50 to 90% of a 6,100 hectare former salt production pond complex to tidal marsh, while maintaining the rest as foraging and roosting areas for migratory birds. Since 2002, we have evaluated migratory waterbird use of pre- and post-restoration salt ponds in south SFB. Our approach has been to …

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Are Southern Resident Killer Whales On A Path To Extinction?, Samuel K. Wasser, Jessica I. Lundin Apr 2018

Are Southern Resident Killer Whales On A Path To Extinction?, Samuel K. Wasser, Jessica I. Lundin

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Numerous extinctions reveal species tipping points where multiple pressures converge to cause a cascade to demise. This paper examines how multiple pressures impacting Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) could lead to their rapid downward spiral to extinction. The most commonly cited impacts to this population are historically low abundance of chinook salmon prey, vessel disturbance from ships and boats, toxicant loads above established health effects thresholds, and risk of oil spills from increased vessel and rail oil transport. Inbreeding and a heavily skewed male biased sex ratio at birth compound these problems. Lack of prey increases nutritional stress and dependence …

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Mapping Intertidal Vegetation Using Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs), Phil Bloch Apr 2018

Mapping Intertidal Vegetation Using Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs), Phil Bloch

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Rapid improvements in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and image processing software have made aerial mapping of intertidal habitats feasible. UAVs are viable tool for comprehensively collecting information in nearshore and shallow subtidal project areas to characterize both seabed elevations as digital surface models and to characterize the presence or absence of vegetation throughout a survey area. This has facilitated mapping eelgrass and other intertidal resources. By capturing information about the entire survey area, UAV based mapping overcomes limitations associated with line intersect and quadrat-based sampling methods. Further, the aerial perspective may allow for the identification and interpretation of patterns …

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Development And Application Of Lc/Ms Based Analysis For Marine Algal Toxins In Hood Canal, Sang Seon Yun, Aaron Bentson-Royal, Kenneth Collins, Seth Book, Ron Figlar-Barnes Apr 2018

Development And Application Of Lc/Ms Based Analysis For Marine Algal Toxins In Hood Canal, Sang Seon Yun, Aaron Bentson-Royal, Kenneth Collins, Seth Book, Ron Figlar-Barnes

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Harmful algal toxins have been well recognized as public health threats (James et al., 2010; Van Dolah, 2000), and a multitude of measures to prevent harmful algal blooms (HABs) derived health risks have been proposed and implemented (Trainer and Hardy, 2015). Coastal communities such as the Skokomish Indian Tribe, consuming a large amount of shellfish to meet their dietary needs are particularly vulnerable to such risks. Washington Department of Health (DOH) has been monitoring marine algal toxins in Puget Sound including coastal areas by collecting shellfish samples followed by mouse-based toxin analysis. To address on-going and future marine algal toxin …

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Spatial Comparison Of Pbts In Marine Fish And Invertebrates From King County Waters, Rory O'Rourke, Jenée Colton, Debra Williston Apr 2018

Spatial Comparison Of Pbts In Marine Fish And Invertebrates From King County Waters, Rory O'Rourke, Jenée Colton, Debra Williston

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2014, King County initiated a long-term monitoring program of marine tissue contaminants. The program monitors important prey of marine mammals and species collected for human consumption: Dungeness and Red rock crab, English sole, market squid, and rockfish (brown, copper, and quillback). Sampling locations include Elliott Bay and central Puget Sound sites within King County waters. Generally, PCB concentrations in all species were higher in Elliott Bay compared to other King County locations. With a few exceptions, PBDE concentrations in all species generally exhibited less of a distinct geographical pattern than was observed for PCBs. Contaminant data for Puget Sound …

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How Effective Creosote-Treated Piling Removal Can Help Save A Cornerstone Species, Celina Abercrombie Apr 2018

How Effective Creosote-Treated Piling Removal Can Help Save A Cornerstone Species, Celina Abercrombie

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

An extensive body of scientific literature is available on the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on fish. Pacific herring are a cornerstone species of the Pacific Northwest food web. Herring populations fluctuate annually with some areas of the Puget Sound seeing increased spawning, while other areas experiencing declines. These fish spawn on seagrass, macroalgae, rocks and a variety of structures. Creosote-treated pilings are one type of spawning structure, which typically results in detrimental effects to fish eggs. With thousands of creosote pilings in our Puget Sound waters, a serious challenge exists for spawning herring. In 2017, the largest creosote-treated …

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Divergent Trends In Migration Timing Of Shorebirds Along The Pacific Flyway, David Hope, Joseph Buchanan, Mary Anne Bishop, George Matz, Moira Lemon, Mark Drever Apr 2018

Divergent Trends In Migration Timing Of Shorebirds Along The Pacific Flyway, David Hope, Joseph Buchanan, Mary Anne Bishop, George Matz, Moira Lemon, Mark Drever

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Long distant migrants timing their arrival on the breeding grounds must make the tradeoff of optimal timing for breeding vs. optimal timing for survival. For many shorebird species, the flyway northward spans thousands of kilometers, and both conditions encountered en route and the priorities of individuals can affect the timing of migration. We used data from spring migration surveys of Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) and Pacific Dunlins (Calidris alpina pacifica) along the Pacific Flyway of North America to determine if the timing of their northward movements changed from 1985 to 2016. We examined 5 sites of varying size along the …

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Managing Disposal At Sea In The Salish Sea To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whale Habitat, Rebecca Seifert, Adam La Rusic Apr 2018

Managing Disposal At Sea In The Salish Sea To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whale Habitat, Rebecca Seifert, Adam La Rusic

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population is listed as Endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. As part of its Ocean Protection Plan, Canada is taking action to protect SRKW and their defined Critical Habitat in the Salish Sea. Identified threats to SRKW include noise from vessels, availability of prey, and contaminants. Through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) assesses and permits the disposal of waste at sea, including disposal at a designated site in SRKW habitat. As well, ECCC conducts regular, required monitoring at disposal sites. The monitoring program holds several years …

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Hydrologic And Habitat Assessment In False Bay Creek Watershed, San Juan County, Washington, Jennifer Thomas, David Hartley, Andrew Wones, Scott Rozenbaum Apr 2018

Hydrologic And Habitat Assessment In False Bay Creek Watershed, San Juan County, Washington, Jennifer Thomas, David Hartley, Andrew Wones, Scott Rozenbaum

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Freshwater resources in the San Juan Islands in Washington state are limited, and since the late 19th century, have been modified to support agricultural use in the islands. The False Bay Watershed is the largest watershed on San Juan Island, and contains the largest percentage of agricultural lands of any watershed on the island (59% of all agricultural activity on San Juan Island occurs in this watershed). Funded by a Department of Ecology under the Watershed Planning Implementation and Flow Achievement Grant Program (PIFA), this study produced two reports to identify and prioritize the feasibility of restoring salmonid habitat within …

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Differentiation Of Pseudo-Nitzschia Species (Baccillariophyceae) In Seawater Samples From The Salish Sea Using The Compound Microscope, Nicola Haigh, Devan Johnson, Tamara Brown Apr 2018

Differentiation Of Pseudo-Nitzschia Species (Baccillariophyceae) In Seawater Samples From The Salish Sea Using The Compound Microscope, Nicola Haigh, Devan Johnson, Tamara Brown

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Taxonomic analysis using the compound microscope remains an efficient and commonly used method of monitoring phytoplankton in seawater samples. Certain diatoms in the Pseudo-nitzschia genus produce the toxin domoic acid, and thereby cause amnesic shellfish poisoning or domoic acid poisoning. Because differentiation between Pseudo-nitzschia species using the compound microscope is challenging, often routine sample analysis in the past has only noted these algae to genus level. This makes it difficult to assess if there is a range shift in the more toxic species, such as Pseudo-nitzschia australis, that may be linked to alterations in environmental conditions in the Salish Sea …

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An Assessment Of Long-Term Bluff Recession Rates In The Puget Sound And Salish Sea: Implications For The Prioritization And Design Of Restoration Projects, Andrea Maclennan, Jim Johannessen Apr 2018

An Assessment Of Long-Term Bluff Recession Rates In The Puget Sound And Salish Sea: Implications For The Prioritization And Design Of Restoration Projects, Andrea Maclennan, Jim Johannessen

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

This oral presentation focuses on extensive recent work documenting long-term coastal bluff recession rates along the shores of the Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea. Coastal bluffs are the most prevalent coastal landform type in this region, accounting for over 1,000 miles (42.6% by length) of the region’s shore (CGS 2017). Coastal bluff recession supplies the overwhelming majority of sediment to Puget Sound beaches, which comprise valued nearshore habitats for salmon, shellfish, and other fish and wildlife (Finlayson 2006; Johannessen and MacLennan 2007; Keuler 1988). Little research has documented the range of bluff recession rates in the region (less …

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Integrating Watershed-Scale And River-Reach Protection And Restoration Planning To Promote Climate Resilience In The South Fork Nooksack River (Sfnr), Oliver Grah, Susan Dickerson-Lange Apr 2018

Integrating Watershed-Scale And River-Reach Protection And Restoration Planning To Promote Climate Resilience In The South Fork Nooksack River (Sfnr), Oliver Grah, Susan Dickerson-Lange

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Nooksack Indian Tribe reservation is located at the foot of the North Cascades Mountains, approximately 13 miles east of Bellingham, WA and the Salish Sea. The Tribe relies on a harvestable surplus of Pacific salmon in the Nooksack River for cultural, subsistence, and commercial purposes. Today, Pacific salmon runs are less than 10 percent of the runs in the late 1800’s. Causes of the declines are complex; however, it is well understood that the legacy of commercial forestry, agriculture, and development has increased sediment loading and water temperature. Climate impacts will cumulatively add to the legacy impacts, which are …

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Mapping Eelgrass (Zostera Sp.) Habitat In Padilla Bay, Wa, Using An Unmanned Aerial System (Uas), David Wallin, Sylvia Yang, Jefferson Emm, Jude K. Apple, Suzanne Shull, Heath Bohlmann Apr 2018

Mapping Eelgrass (Zostera Sp.) Habitat In Padilla Bay, Wa, Using An Unmanned Aerial System (Uas), David Wallin, Sylvia Yang, Jefferson Emm, Jude K. Apple, Suzanne Shull, Heath Bohlmann

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) monitoring and restoration is important to commercial and ecological management in the Salish Sea. In the southern Salish Sea (Puget Sound, WA), eelgrass distribution overall has not changed in acreage but local eelgrass habitats have declined whereas others have increased. Additionally, coexistence with non-native dwarf eelgrass (Z. japonica) motivates tracking the spatial patterns of change in distribution of both Zostera species on a seasonal and interannual basis. Past efforts to map eelgrass communities have involved the use of satellite imagery and imagery acquired from manned aircraft. Imagery acquired using these platforms typically has a spatial resolution ranging …

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Integrated Agricultural Riparian Stewardship In The Stillaguamish And Snohomish Watersheds, Kristin Marshall, Cindy Dittbrenner, Carrie Byron, Colin Hume Apr 2018

Integrated Agricultural Riparian Stewardship In The Stillaguamish And Snohomish Watersheds, Kristin Marshall, Cindy Dittbrenner, Carrie Byron, Colin Hume

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Stillaguamish and Snohomish River watersheds are regionally important to the health of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea and in particular for the recovery of salmon. The habitat gains needed to achieve salmon recovery in these watersheds include much of the agricultural landscape in Snohomish County, a situation that often results in conflicts between salmon recovery and agricultural communities. The Snohomish Conservation District’s National Estuary Program-funded Integrated Riparian Stewardship project is one of several efforts aimed at simultaneously achieving agricultural land preservation and salmon habitat protection and restoration in one of the fastest growing counties in the United States, …

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Interannual Variation Of The Toxic Raphidophyte Heterosigma Akashiwo In Departure Bay (Nanaimo): Data From The Harmful Algae Monitoring Program 2001-2017, Tamara Brown, Nicola Haigh, Devan Johnson Apr 2018

Interannual Variation Of The Toxic Raphidophyte Heterosigma Akashiwo In Departure Bay (Nanaimo): Data From The Harmful Algae Monitoring Program 2001-2017, Tamara Brown, Nicola Haigh, Devan Johnson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Heterosigma akashiwo is the most significant fish-killing algae species in British Columbia, and the Salish Sea historically has the most intense and prolonged H. akashiwo blooms in BC. There is strong interannual variation of H. akashiwo blooms in the Salish Sea that has been linked to decreased salinity from the Fraser River plume. Here we present data from weekly phytoplankton and environmental monitoring at Departure Bay by the Harmful Algae Monitoring Program (HAMP) from 2001 to 2017. Concentrations of H. akashiwo in Departure Bay are compared with Fraser River discharge, salinity, and temperature. Densest H. akashiwo blooms typically appear in …

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Can Sport Scuba Divers Provide Reliable Data For Rockfish Conservation?, Stefania Gorgopa, John Volpe Apr 2018

Can Sport Scuba Divers Provide Reliable Data For Rockfish Conservation?, Stefania Gorgopa, John Volpe

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Rockfish are a long-lived group of fishes susceptible to overfishing. Rockfish conservation initiatives are currently hindered by a lack of fine scale population data. However, the abundance of recreational divers represents an untapped resource, ready to be deployed as citizen scientists in the Salish Sea. A potential issue is that the reliability of citizen scientist-generated SCUBA data is not known, particularly when those data are collected across gradients of diver competencies and diving conditions. To evaluate the reliability of citizen science data, pairs of divers of varying levels of experience identified and enumerated the number of individual finfish along predetermined …

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Using A Bioenergetic Model To Set Waterfowl Habitat Objectives For The Fraser River Delta, Bruce Harrison, Dan Buffett, Mark Petrie, Matthew Christensen Apr 2018

Using A Bioenergetic Model To Set Waterfowl Habitat Objectives For The Fraser River Delta, Bruce Harrison, Dan Buffett, Mark Petrie, Matthew Christensen

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Fraser River Estuary is a major link in a chain of Pacific coastal habitats that support migrating and wintering waterfowl, and many birds converge here during northward and southward travels. Between 800,000 and 2.3 million waterfowl use the estuary from September through April, including significant populations of American wigeon, mallard, northern pintail, surf scoter, snow goose and brant. Waterfowl mainly use agricultural lands, freshwater and brackish wetlands, and intertidal habitats such as eelgrass beds, all of which continue to be lost or degraded by population growth and urban sprawl. We used a bioenergetic model (TRUEMET) to explicitly link waterfowl …

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Is Silence Golden? The Recovery Rationale For Yielding—And Enforcing—The Maritime Right-Of-Way To Southern Resident Killer Whales And Their Access To Prey, Todd Hass Apr 2018

Is Silence Golden? The Recovery Rationale For Yielding—And Enforcing—The Maritime Right-Of-Way To Southern Resident Killer Whales And Their Access To Prey, Todd Hass

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Prey availability is recognized as one of three major limiting factors in the recovery of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) by the US and Canada. In terms of inter-related, cumulative effects the most recent population viability analysis (Lacy et al. 2017) suggests that improving access to those prey—by reducing (1) the masking effects of vessel noise on echolocation and intra-pod communication, and (2) the physical interference caused by nearby vessels on the water—could magnify the benefits of modest gains in the abundance of the residents’ primary prey, Chinook salmon. The transboundary SRKW Symposium in October 2017 highlighted emerging studies on …

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Elwha Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration: Dam Removal And Shoreline Armor Removal, Jamie Michel, Anne Shaffer, Dave Parks, Chris Byrnes Apr 2018

Elwha Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration: Dam Removal And Shoreline Armor Removal, Jamie Michel, Anne Shaffer, Dave Parks, Chris Byrnes

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Along the central Strait of Juan de Fuca, a century of sediment disruption associated with two large dams resulted in high rates of shoreline erosion and subsequent shoreline armor placement along the Elwha River nearshore. The Elwha River Dam Removal and Ecosystem Restoration Project, completed in 2014, was the largest intentional dam removal and ecosystem restoration project undertaken in the U.S. to date. In 2016-017, using state and federal conservation funding, Coastal Watershed Institute (CWI) purchased a 26 acre parcel adjacent to the river delta and began to restore the shoreline, floodplain and uplands at the site of a former …

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