Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Puget Sound (28)
- Restoration (27)
- Salish Sea (19)
- Eelgrass (15)
- Ocean acidification (15)
-
- Monitoring (14)
- Salmon (13)
- Citizen science (11)
- Estuary (11)
- Water quality (11)
- Climate change (8)
- Collaboration (8)
- Shellfish (8)
- Nearshore (7)
- Phytoplankton (7)
- Sea level rise (7)
- Stormwater (7)
- Alexandrium (6)
- Aquaculture (6)
- Chinook salmon (6)
- Forage fish (6)
- Kelp (6)
- Seagrass (6)
- Sediment (6)
- Shoreline (6)
- Strait of Georgia (6)
- Temperature (6)
- Agriculture (5)
- Beach (5)
- Climate (5)
- Publication Year
Articles 1 - 30 of 683
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Plight Of The Enigmatic Southern Resident Killer Whales: Have We Done All We Can To Recover These Icons Of The Salish Sea?, Orla Robinson, Regan Nelson, Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Carleen Thomas
The Plight Of The Enigmatic Southern Resident Killer Whales: Have We Done All We Can To Recover These Icons Of The Salish Sea?, Orla Robinson, Regan Nelson, Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Carleen Thomas
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Southern Resident killer whales recognize no boundaries but frequent the coastal waters of southern British Columbia (Canada) and northern Washington State (USA). Having acknowledged their conservation plight, the two respective national governments have afforded this distinct and much-valued population the status of ‘Endangered’ under their respective endangered species laws. Divergent natural resource management regimes, endangered species legislation, and marine use profiles in the two nations have at times limited a concerted conservation push for these killer whales. However, much has been learned over the past 20 years about the three primary threats to their recovery - diminished prey (primarily Chinook …
On-Site Sewage System (Oss) And Social Vulnerability Gis Dashboard: Using Data To Inform Approaches For Equitable Wastewater Futures, Meagan Jackson, Lynn Schneider
On-Site Sewage System (Oss) And Social Vulnerability Gis Dashboard: Using Data To Inform Approaches For Equitable Wastewater Futures, Meagan Jackson, Lynn Schneider
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Public Health – Seattle & King County created the On-site Sewage Systems (OSS) and social vulnerability GIS map and dashboard to evaluate if the distribution of aging on-site wastewater treatment systems (also known as septic systems) is correlated with demographics and social inequities. The dashboard combines King County OSS location and age data with the CDC Social vulnerability index at the census tract level, showing that urban OSS are more likely to be located in the most vulnerable census tracts. The map and dashboard provide a data-informed tool to help prioritize locations that have the greatest need for infrastructure planning …
A Collaborative Approach To Developing A Model For Oil Spill Policy Decision Support: Building A Better Model While Learning Together, Jd Ross Leahy
A Collaborative Approach To Developing A Model For Oil Spill Policy Decision Support: Building A Better Model While Learning Together, Jd Ross Leahy
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Washington State Department of Ecology is developing a quantitative model to evaluate risk of oil spills in Washington waters. The model provides a long-term resource for evaluating oil spill policy and oil spill risks in Washington waters. To do so, it must produce understandable and accessible information for effective decision-making support and characterize risk in a way that addresses the concerns of tribes and stakeholders. Guided by the analytic-deliberative process recommended by the National Research Council, our team approached model development with a focus on collaboration and empirical rigor. Between the summer of 2020 and fall of 2021, we …
Getting From One Size Fits All To Variable Width Riparian Buffer Recommendations, Kollin Higgins
Getting From One Size Fits All To Variable Width Riparian Buffer Recommendations, Kollin Higgins
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
In 2014, King County began an effort called, Fish Farm Flood, to recover Chinook salmon in the Snoqualmie River while also maintaining a healthy viable agricultural industry. An initial agreement in 2017 called for the formation of a Buffer Task Force with the goal of providing the foundation and guidance for a scientifically credible, context-sensitive, locally derived decision support framework that describes the potential of variable-width riparian buffers along all watercourses in the Snoqualmie Valley Agricultural Production District. The agricultural district is mostly contained within the roughly mile wide floodplain of the Snoqualmie River. The district includes more than 150 …
Noaa’S Nearshore Conservation Program And Calculator – What Is New, Stephanie Ehinger
Noaa’S Nearshore Conservation Program And Calculator – What Is New, Stephanie Ehinger
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Poor nearshore habitat conditions are a key factor limiting survival of threatened juvenile Puget Sound Chinook salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has recently implemented regulatory approaches to avoid, minimize, and offset further losses of critical nearshore habitat while at the same time supporting development and re-development of infrastructure. Several recently completed Endangered Species Act consultations on over 50 Corps regulatory proposed actions in Puget Sound’s nearshore required avoidance, minimization, and compensation for all unavoidable long-term project-related impacts. In these consultations, NMFS used a Habitat Equivalency Analysis-based tool, the “Nearshore Conservation Calculator”, to consistently and empirically determine certain impacts …
Marine Shoreline Armor Mapping, Change Analysis (2009-2019) And Regulatory Compliance And Effectiveness Assessment For San Juan County, Washington, Tina Whitman
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Significant improvements have occurred in our technical understanding of the impacts shoreline armoring has on coastal processes and habitats. In response, expanded voluntary and regulatory efforts to remove armor, reduce demand for new armor, and reduce impacts of authorized armor have been implemented across the region. While some progress in removing armor and limiting new armor appears to be happening, tracking armor trends relies on a review of state permit records. Assessments of actual changes in the extent of armor along marine shorelines are limited. Friends of the San Juans recently completed a Shoreline Armor Mapping, Change Analysis, and Regulatory …
Using Shore-Based Surveys To Assess Vessel Traffic Patterns In Two Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, Dr. Louise Blight, Dr. Patrick O'Hara
Using Shore-Based Surveys To Assess Vessel Traffic Patterns In Two Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, Dr. Louise Blight, Dr. Patrick O'Hara
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The waters of the Salish Sea encompass habitat of international conservation significance to coastal and marine birds, and include Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS; total area ~2000 ha). Both MBS were designated in the early 1900s to protect overwintering waterbirds from urban hunting, but have subsequently seen considerable development within their waters, including marinas, fuel docks, and other marine infrastructure. Vessel disturbances have been identified as a stressor to waterbirds, but traffic rates in these coastal areas are poorly understood for vessels without AIS tracking. We conducted a pilot study using shore-based observers …
Government Of Canada: Reducing Vessel Noise And Disturbance, Sara German
Government Of Canada: Reducing Vessel Noise And Disturbance, Sara German
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
This presentation describes Canada's comprehensive approach to reducing underwater radiated noise (URN) from ships, as well as some of Canada's national and international efforts to reduce and tackle the URN issue. One of the goals of these efforts is to better understand and manage the cumulative effects of shipping activities on endangered whales in different parts of the country, particularly the Southern Resident Killer Whale on our West Coast. Given the complexity of reducing underwater noise and physical disturbance from ships, the Government of Canada has taken a multidimensional approach to this issue. This approach includes both operational and technical …
Nature’S Value In The Salish Sea: The Ecosystem Services Of The Salish Sea Basin, Erin Mackey, Ken Cousins
Nature’S Value In The Salish Sea: The Ecosystem Services Of The Salish Sea Basin, Erin Mackey, Ken Cousins
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the Salish Sea basin provide vital fish and wildlife habitat, serve as a foundation for food production, employment, and outdoor recreation, improve water and air quality, and reduce natural disaster risks, such as flooding. This year, Earth Economics conducted a geospatial Ecosystem Services Valuation (ESV) of the nonmarket value provided by ecosystems throughout the basin, updating and expanding on Earth Economics 2010 report, “Valuing the Puget Sound Basin,” which estimated the value provided by the US portion of the basin—cited in the Seattle Times as recently as 2019. The availability of transnational 30m spatial …
The Health And Habitat Use Of Glaucous-Winged Gulls Wintering In The Salish Sea, Hannah Hall
The Health And Habitat Use Of Glaucous-Winged Gulls Wintering In The Salish Sea, Hannah Hall
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Salish Sea is a globally significant location for marine birds. However, forage fish declines, legacy contaminants, and increasing industrial activity are ongoing concerns for wildlife and humans here. Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) are effective biomonitors of long-term shifts in marine food-webs and contaminant trends. Over the past 150 years, they have increasingly relied on terrestrial prey and urban areas to forage and nest. Simultaneously, Glaucous-winged gulls (GWGU) have experienced lower reproductive success and significant population declines. Currently, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has a mandate through the Ocean’s Protection Plan to assess threats to wildlife posed by new …
Traffic Separation Scheme Feasibility Study, Sara German
Traffic Separation Scheme Feasibility Study, Sara German
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Southern Resident Killer Whales are endangered and face three key threats to their survival: prey availability, physical and acoustic disturbance, and contaminants. In an effort to mitigate the threat of physical and acoustic disturbance, Transport Canada has worked with an external contractor over the last two years to assess the feasibility of making changes to the Traffic Separation Scheme, as a potential way to reduce physical and acoustic disturbance from vessels in southern BC coastal waters. The goal of the project was to assess and recommend options to amend the TSS that balance the protection of the Southern Resident killer …
The Echo Program: Key Learnings At 5-Year Anniversary Of Vessel Slowdown For At-Risk Whales Off Bc's Southern Coast, Ryan Ford
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority-led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program is a regional collaborative initiative to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of commercial shipping activities on at-risk whales along BC's southern coast. Bringing together over 100 U.S. and Canadian partners and advisors from across government, the marine transportation industry, Indigenous communities, scientists, and environmental groups. The ECHO Program advances research and implements voluntary seasonal initiatives that encourage ship operators to slow down or stay distanced while transiting through key foraging areas of the endangered southern resident killer whale (SRKW) population. In 2020, these voluntary initiatives achieved …
Quiet Sound: A New Program To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales From The Acoustic And Physical Impacts Of Large Commercial Vessels, Rachel Aronson, Todd Hass, Kathleen Hurley
Quiet Sound: A New Program To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales From The Acoustic And Physical Impacts Of Large Commercial Vessels, Rachel Aronson, Todd Hass, Kathleen Hurley
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Quiet Sound is a new public-private partnership to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of acoustic and physical disturbance from large commercial vessels on southern resident killer whales throughout their range in Washington State. Quiet Sound grew out of the Orca Recovery Task Force, and was jointly funded by state, local, and federal partners in 2021. This presentation will introduce the partners who have joined together to form Quiet Sound, and how these partners are organizing a program that is science-based, collaborative and transparent. We will review what we know now about large commercial vessel noise and SRKWs, and …
Citizen Science And Collaborative Programs Help Reveal Coastal Waterbird Trends And Understand The Mechanisms Underlying Those Trends In The Salish Sea And Pacific Coast, Dr. Remi Torrenta
Citizen Science And Collaborative Programs Help Reveal Coastal Waterbird Trends And Understand The Mechanisms Underlying Those Trends In The Salish Sea And Pacific Coast, Dr. Remi Torrenta
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Waterbirds are often used as indicators of ecosystem function across broad spatial and temporal scales. Resolving which species are declining and the ecological characteristics they have in common can offer insights into ecosystem changes and their underlying mechanisms. Using 20 years of citizen science data collected by the British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey, we examined trends in abundance of coastal waterbird species, both in the Salish Sea and along the outer Pacific Ocean coast, representing the core wintering coastal bird community of British Columbia, Canada. Results suggest that most populations are stable in both the Salish Sea and Pacific coast …
Community Science Project: Exploring Plastic Pollution With Undergraduate Researchers And Aspiring Girl Scientists, Julie Masura, Amy Kovacs, Jenny Huntley
Community Science Project: Exploring Plastic Pollution With Undergraduate Researchers And Aspiring Girl Scientists, Julie Masura, Amy Kovacs, Jenny Huntley
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Community science is key to contributing data to large-scale projects. Public connections inform groups about human effects on the environment and afford opportunities for university students to demonstrate skills learned during their major programs. Marine plastic pollution has been an emerging topic of concern for several decades. Understanding the distribution and impacts is key to developing action plans that will reduce the input of plastics into the world’s ocean, specifically the Salish Sea. Undergraduate students at University of Washington Tacoma are trained in sampling techniques, laboratory analysis, and data synthesis in several courses throughout their program. Student researchers, along with …
Monitoring Vegetation Response To Culvert Removals In A Salt Marsh: Education For College Interns, Citizen Scientists And The Local Community., Dr. Melissa Fleming, Hanna Brush, Jenna Wright
Monitoring Vegetation Response To Culvert Removals In A Salt Marsh: Education For College Interns, Citizen Scientists And The Local Community., Dr. Melissa Fleming, Hanna Brush, Jenna Wright
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Stillwaters Environmental Center spearheaded the Carpenter Creek Estuary Restoration project, which replaced two undersized culverts in a pocket estuary in Kingston, WA with large-span bridges in 2012 and 2018. This restored natural tidal and creek flows and sediment transport, and increased access for salmonids to the creek and estuary. To establish a pre-restoration baseline and involve the community, Stillwaters coordinated citizen science monitoring of water quality and ecological conditions in the estuary, salt marsh, and creek in 2005 and have continued this monitoring during the recovery. Since 2013, we have also hosted 31 undergraduate and graduate interns from local colleges …
Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Puget Sound To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities From 2014-2021, Maggiejo Baer
Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Puget Sound To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities From 2014-2021, Maggiejo Baer
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
In 2020, 368 million tonnes of plastics were produced worldwide, with 59% common polymers (i.e. polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride). The rate of input of ocean plastic is estimated to be approximately 9.5 million tonnes per year. Primary plastics are those manufactured at the size for use, and secondary plastics are those that have broken down from primary plastics. Size-categories for plastics are macroplastics (> 5 mm) and microplastics (< 5 mm). This project explores microplastics in sediments collected throughout the Puget Sound from 2014-2021 to create baseline observations and determine if plastic pollution in sediments have changed over time. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team has provided sediment samples to analyze for microplastics since 2014. Long-term stations have been sampled using a grab sampler to recover 2-3 cm of the top sediment from the seabed. Researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma analyzed the sediments for the presence of microplastic throughout Puget Sound. Results from the 2014-2021 long-term monitoring stations showed that microplastics were found every year in all samples, except for one sample taken in 2017. Data for 2020 is missing since sampling did not occur due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued monitoring for microplastics in sediments throughout the Puget Sound is needed to understand the sinks of this emerging pollutant. We offer special thanks to the Department of Ecology’s Puget Sound Sediment Monitoring Program for collecting samples.
Indigenous-Led Cumulative Effects & Bridging The Informational Gap For Informed Decision Making, Marian Ngo, Bridget Dunne
Indigenous-Led Cumulative Effects & Bridging The Informational Gap For Informed Decision Making, Marian Ngo, Bridget Dunne
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
ABSTRACT TITLE: Indigenous-led Cumulative Effects & Bridging the Informational Gap for Informed Decision Making MOTIVATION: The Salish Sea and its ecosystem are vital to the health, heritage, livelihood, and way of life of a multitude of First Nations. Our mission is to ensure that we are supporting our members with usable baseline and cumulative effects data to make informed decisions as it pertains to development and resource policy in our Traditional Territories. Our work is intended to be a regional amalgamation of data that bridges the gap of information and is intended to complement the ongoing stewardship programs of individual …
Salish Sea Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Surveys, Terence Lee
Salish Sea Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Surveys, Terence Lee
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba) are one of four seabird species designated by the Puget Sound Partnership as an indicator species in the Salish Sea. Community science programs like the Salish Sea Guillemot Network can provide long-term data that inform regional population status trends and nesting success that reflect overall ecosystem health. The goals of this project are to provide a baseline for detecting changes and trends in local Pigeon Guillemot populations by compiling a multi-year dataset. Educating and training community scientists helps them develop a sense of place and stewardship through observation of processes in the nearshore environment and appreciation …
Pollution Tracker: Long-Term Monitoring Of Priority Contaminants In Coastal British Columbia, Kelsey Delisle, Marie Noel, Peter S. Ross
Pollution Tracker: Long-Term Monitoring Of Priority Contaminants In Coastal British Columbia, Kelsey Delisle, Marie Noel, Peter S. Ross
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Pollution Tracker is the first long-term marine pollution monitoring program in Canada (pollutiontracker.org). Established in 2015, the program currently operates coast-wide in British Columbia (BC) with over 60 sampling sites established to date. Collaboration with coastal First Nations, government agencies, port authorities, industry, and community groups has enabled the completion of Phase 1 and 2 and the implementation of Phase 3. Mussels and nearshore subtidal sediment are being used to monitor spatial and temporal trends of both legacy and emerging contaminants of concern. Over 450 individual analytes from 14 contaminant classes are being measured using high-resolution analysis. Both current-use and …
Six Years Of Adult Education About The "Wonders Of The Salish Sea", Deborah Simpson
Six Years Of Adult Education About The "Wonders Of The Salish Sea", Deborah Simpson
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The "Wonders of the Salish Sea" (WSS) is an environmental education program designed to connect residents to the Salish Sea ecosystem through community-based, awe-inspiring education. The program aims to create a community of citizens who love, care for, and want to protect the Salish Sea; and to provide an opportunity for local scientists, naturalists, environmentalists, and enthusiasts to share their passion and expertise with the general public. Started in 2016 in Vancouver BC, WSS fills a gap in education by meeting the needs of beginning youth and adult learners who want to gain an in-depth understanding of the ecosystem in …
Community Science In The Salish Sea: Intertidal Monitoring In The Cherry Point And Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserves, Rondi Nordal, Eleanor Hines
Community Science In The Salish Sea: Intertidal Monitoring In The Cherry Point And Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserves, Rondi Nordal, Eleanor Hines
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Monitoring programs are an essential part of habitat restoration and protection efforts, but many programs often require more time and capacity than career scientists can afford. One way to fill this gap is to train and organize volunteers through community science programs overseen by staff. The Fidalgo Bay and Cherry Point Aquatic Reserves each have teams of volunteers who work diligently to collect baseline data on intertidal biota, beach substrate, and beach slope across 4 sites per reserve. This work provides a record for baseline conditions that can be used to assess natural change over time as well as the …
River Field Studies Network: Connecting People, Rivers, And Science Through Immersive Education, Dr. John Mclaughlin
River Field Studies Network: Connecting People, Rivers, And Science Through Immersive Education, Dr. John Mclaughlin
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Rivers are universal landscape features that underlie cultural identity, provide essential ecosystem services, support substantial biodiversity, and are among our most threatened ecosystem components. Over forty river basins circumscribe the Salish Sea region, integrating human land use impacts and connecting those impacts to the Salish Sea. Restoring rivers and human-river relationships rank among our most vital imperatives. The River Field Studies Network (RFSN) is a National Science Foundation funded Research Coordination Network in Undergraduate Biology Education (RCN-UBE) project that aims to transform undergraduate STEM education through immersive interdisciplinary river and watershed programs. Specifically, we are building a network of collaborators …
Here’S What To Know About The New Puget Sound Vital Signs!, Corinne Noufi, Mary Ramirez, Nathalie Hamel
Here’S What To Know About The New Puget Sound Vital Signs!, Corinne Noufi, Mary Ramirez, Nathalie Hamel
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
After more than 10 years of collaborative reporting, the Puget Sound Vital Signs, their indicators and targets are changing. In 2019 the Puget Sound Partnership, a state agency leading the recovery of Puget Sound, undertook a collaborative effort to revise the Vital Signs and indicators. The focus of the revisions was on the “biophysical” Vital Signs: water quality, water quantity, habitats, and species and food web. The process convened hundreds of experts from throughout the region during three workshops and smaller group meetings. In the end, the Partnership chose 13 biophysical Vital Signs and 34 indicators. The revised Vital Signs …
Characterizing Contaminant Concentrations In Priority Chinook Salmon Stocks Consumed By Resident Killer Whales In The Northeastern Pacific Ocean, Stephanie Holbert
Characterizing Contaminant Concentrations In Priority Chinook Salmon Stocks Consumed By Resident Killer Whales In The Northeastern Pacific Ocean, Stephanie Holbert
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The critically endangered, transboundary Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) (Orcinus orca) population faces significant threats including a reduced abundance of their primary prey (Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), physical and acoustic disturbance, and high levels of endocrine disrupting contaminants. However, the sympatric Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKW) that also primarily consume Chinook salmon have had continued population growth and have lower contaminant burdens. Studies have reported adverse health effects from contaminant burdens in transient killer whales and NRKWs. Contaminant exposure modeling has predicted protracted health risks for both resident killer whale populations. Despite Chinook salmon from the Fraser River watershed in …
Investigating Contaminant-Related Health Effects In Killer Whales In British Columbia Using Omics, Dr. Bethany Decourten
Investigating Contaminant-Related Health Effects In Killer Whales In British Columbia Using Omics, Dr. Bethany Decourten
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are an iconic species in the Salish Sea with three populations inhabiting the area: the northern resident, southern resident, and Bigg’s populations. Low food availability, contaminant exposure, and noise are the major threats to these populations with the southern residents being the most vulnerable. We measured PCB and PBDE concentrations in blubber biopsies collected from individuals in the southern resident, northern resident, and Bigg’s populations between 2019 and 2021. Our data show differences in PCB and PBDE concentrations between populations and sex. Building upon this research, we are combining multiple omics approaches to deepen our understanding …
2021 Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Elliot Bay Near Seattle, Wa To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities, Sade Mcnight, Olivia Kirby
2021 Mapping Of Microplastics In Surface Sediments Of Elliot Bay Near Seattle, Wa To Determine Impacts On Benthic Communities, Sade Mcnight, Olivia Kirby
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
In 2020, 368 million tonnes of plastics were produced worldwide, with 59% common polymers (i.e. polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride). The rate of input of ocean plastic is estimated to be approximately 9.5 million tonnes per year. Primary plastics are those manufactured at the size for use, and secondary plastics are those that have broken down from primary plastics. Size-categories for plastics are macroplastics (> 5 mm) and microplastics (< 5 mm). This project explores microplastics in sediments collected in Elliot Bay near Seattle, WA 2021 to create baseline observations and determine if plastic pollution in sediments have changed over time. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team has provided sediment samples to analyze for microplastics. A part of the 4-year rotation of urban bays, stations were sampled using a grab sampler to recover 2-3 cm of the top sediment from the seabed. Researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma analyzed the sediments for the presence of microplastic throughout Puget Sound. This poster will present the results from a summer research program hosted at the University of Washington Tacoma. Preliminary results have shown the presence of microfibers in all samples. Continued monitoring for microplastics in sediments Elliot Bay is needed to understand the sinks of this emerging pollutant. We offer special thanks to the Department of Ecology’s Puget Sound Sediment Monitoring Program for collecting samples.
Establishing A Baseline For Northern Anchovy Populations By Ichthyoplankton Sampling In Puget Sound, Wa., Katie Olson
Establishing A Baseline For Northern Anchovy Populations By Ichthyoplankton Sampling In Puget Sound, Wa., Katie Olson
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
As part of the forage fish complex, Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax) is recognized as a critical prey species for many fish, birds and mammals. Recent observations of large schools of anchovy and increased encounters in research studies suggest anchovy have become more abundant in Puget Sound since 2014 while most stocks of another important forage fish, Pacific Herring, have been declining. Research by Duguid et al. (2018) showed anchovy contribute to the Puget Sound ecosystem in periodic spikes, but there is currently no monitoring program to document anchovy abundance trends over time and only limited information on spawn timing and …
A Preliminary Ranking Of Contaminants Of Concern In Juvenile Harrison Chinook And Their Habitat In The Fraser River, British Columbia., Bonnie Lo
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Fraser River (British Columbia) was once considered one of the world’s most productive salmon rivers. This river is home to 19 Chinook populations which represent an important species not only to First Nations, recreational anglers and commercial fisheries but also to Southern resident killer whales. The Harrison River Chinook stock, which numerically dominate the lower Fraser River stocks, spend 30-50 days in the Fraser River estuary, where they feed and grow prior to entering the marine environment. This stock was selected as a focal stock due to its spawning location origin in the lower Fraser River, and because ocean …
Reporting On The Health Of The Salish Sea Via Transboundary Ecosystem Indicators: Reflecting On Twenty Years And Mobilizing For The Future, Sarah Bartnik, Michael Rylko
Reporting On The Health Of The Salish Sea Via Transboundary Ecosystem Indicators: Reflecting On Twenty Years And Mobilizing For The Future, Sarah Bartnik, Michael Rylko
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Joint Statement of Cooperation for the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound (now Salish Sea) established Salish Sea ecosystem Indicators reporting to support knowledge sharing and to identify common priorities for action across the international boundary. The newly-updated report consists of 10 indicators and focuses mostly on quantitative information that present the state of water, air, species, and human wellbeing, and describes briefly how these elements are interconnected. The updated report describes mixed trends among the suite of ecosystem indicators, reflecting the complexity of the system. Over the 20 years of reporting on the health of the Salish Sea, the …