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Articles 361 - 390 of 2456

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Region-Wide Declines In Size At Age For Bc Chinook Salmon: Trends And Causes In Space And Time., Dr. Ravi Maharaj Apr 2022

Region-Wide Declines In Size At Age For Bc Chinook Salmon: Trends And Causes In Space And Time., Dr. Ravi Maharaj

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Declines in the size-at-age of Chinook salmon have been observed across the Pacific Northwest. Reasons for these declines are not well understood, though a number of potential causal factors have been highlighted. Here we present an analysis of size-at-age trends for BC Chinook escapements, testing the possible effects of some of these factors including hatchery influence, fishing, ocean conditions and predation among others. This project is part of a broader review of hatchery effectiveness being conducted by the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

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Projecting Future Climate States For The Salish Sea In Support Of The Management Of Local Ecosystems And Fisheries, Dr. Amber Holdsworth Apr 2022

Projecting Future Climate States For The Salish Sea In Support Of The Management Of Local Ecosystems And Fisheries, Dr. Amber Holdsworth

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Projections of the future ocean state for Canada’s Salish Sea are necessary to understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems, fisheries, and aquaculture providing critical information on likely future conditions and the ability to adaptively manage fisheries resources, ecosystems and significant areas. A multi-stage downscaling system is under development to improve our understanding of climate impacts for the Salish Sea and to generate actionable climate data for decision makers. Climate models are global and, therefore, are restricted to coarse resolutions on the order of 100km. The narrow straits and channels and complex bathymetry of the Salish Sea are modelled …

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Oceanographic Conditions And Harmful Algae In The Strait Of Georgia, Canada – Outcomes Of Seven Years Of Monitoring With The Citizen Science Program., Svetlana Esenkolova Apr 2022

Oceanographic Conditions And Harmful Algae In The Strait Of Georgia, Canada – Outcomes Of Seven Years Of Monitoring With The Citizen Science Program., Svetlana Esenkolova

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Citizen Science Oceanography Program was started in 2015, with assistance from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). The purpose of this innovative program is to obtain high-resolution data on oceanographic conditions and lower trophic levels that can be used to assess conditions relevant to juvenile salmon survival in the Salish Sea. Sampling occurs at 50-80 sites, about 20 times a year from February to October, resulting in ~1500 oceanographic stations each year, which are archived at ONC and the Strait of Georgia Data Centre. Analysis of oceanographic conditions (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, …

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Phase 2 Development Of A Hydrologic Condition Index For The Puget Sound Basin, Colin Hume Apr 2022

Phase 2 Development Of A Hydrologic Condition Index For The Puget Sound Basin, Colin Hume

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Department of Ecology is developing a Hydrologic Condition Index (HCI) for the Puget Sound Basin. Building on the Puget Sound Watershed Characterization broad-scale indices of watershed processes, the HCI will further the multi-scale decision support framework established to assist local governments and natural resource practitioners in land use, stormwater, salmon recovery, and other watershed based planning processes. Building off of an initial concept from King County, Phase 1 development of the HCI established preferred methodologies for calculating the index, validated the index with stream gage measured high-pulse-counts (a measure of stream flashiness), and produced recommendations for further development. Additionally, …

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Upholding Diverse Knowledge Systems To Identify Marine Areas Of High Ecological, Socio-Economic, And Cultural Value In Howe Sound/ÁTl'ka7tsem, British Columbia, Fiona Beaty, Myia Antone Apr 2022

Upholding Diverse Knowledge Systems To Identify Marine Areas Of High Ecological, Socio-Economic, And Cultural Value In Howe Sound/ÁTl'ka7tsem, British Columbia, Fiona Beaty, Myia Antone

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Marine spatial planning (MSP) involves bringing together knowledge associated with marine spaces and identifying strategies that proactively address pressures while protecting ocean-based values for present and future generations. Unfortunately, MSP processes are often biased toward biophysical and western scientific knowledge, and can exclude diverse ways of knowing (e.g. Indigenous and local knowledge systems) and socio-economic and cultural data. This oversight can not only hamper the effectiveness of MSP, but also generate conflict with communities whose access and livelihoods are impacted by MSP outcomes. In response to this issue, our study led a community-based approach to identify areas of high socio-economic, …

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Urbanization Reduces Understory Kelp Abundance, Macroalgal Function, And Biogenic Complexity In The Salish Sea, Dr. Eliza Heery Apr 2022

Urbanization Reduces Understory Kelp Abundance, Macroalgal Function, And Biogenic Complexity In The Salish Sea, Dr. Eliza Heery

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea, like coastal zones globally, is undergoing rapid urbanization, causing substantial changes to marine habitats and ecosystems. Urban gradient analysis is a common approach in terrestrial and freshwater systems for discerning ecological patterns relative to urban land-use. This study employed a similar approach to assess urban gradients in benthic macroalgal assemblages in Puget Sound. Using benthic photoquadrat data from 38 sites in Central, South, and Whidbey Basin, we characterized the relative importance of urban- and natural-environmental predictors on: (1) the presence/absence of understory kelp, (2) the composition of macroalgal functional groups, and (3) the structural complexity of macroalgal-formed …

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Scaling Shoreline Restoration To Improve Nearshore Marine Habitat For Salmon And Forage Fishes, Emily Bishop Apr 2022

Scaling Shoreline Restoration To Improve Nearshore Marine Habitat For Salmon And Forage Fishes, Emily Bishop

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Shoreline restoration is a widespread activity with a multitude of ambitions. Goals often include protection of people and property from storms and sea level rise, improvement of habitat for fisheries and protected species, and mitigation of the effects of climate change through investments in blue carbon. However, few studies have directly assessed the impacts of restoration actions on specific ecological or economic endpoints, nor characterized the significance of the surrounding landscape to restoration outcomes. We conducted monthly surveys from April through September in 2018-2021 at six restoration sites in Puget Sound to evaluate associations between shoreline restoration and offshore subtidal …

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Finding Common Ground: Communicating Across Borders To Restore The Salish Sea, Jessica Rose, Jade Dudoward, David Sway-La Duenas Apr 2022

Finding Common Ground: Communicating Across Borders To Restore The Salish Sea, Jessica Rose, Jade Dudoward, David Sway-La Duenas

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Puyallup Tribe’s Chief Leschi Schools, Tulalip Tribes, and students and professors at the University of Washington are collaborating through participatory digital storytelling centered around Salish Sea restoration. The goals include intercultural education exchange across multiple disciplines leading to a balanced collaboration between communities that will inform long term policy. Students rarely learn Washington State treaty rights yet Tribes are at the forefront of Salish Sea protection. The results are the erasure of Indigenous knowledge, wisdom, and ways of knowing. Non-indigenous students are learning how to communicate with Tribes by establishing and maintaining trusting relationships in a respectful manner while also …

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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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