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Natural Resources and Conservation

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Western Washington University

Conservation

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Vignette 04: Olympia Oysters, Jodie Toft, Betsy Peabody May 2021

Vignette 04: Olympia Oysters, Jodie Toft, Betsy Peabody

Institute Publications

Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) are our only native oyster species here in the Salish Sea. Olympia oysters once covered an estimated 13-26% of the intertidal area in Puget Sound, mostly near the heads of inlets. A combination of overharvest, pollution, and habitat loss reduced the current population to less than 4% of historic numbers, though sparse numbers of Olympia oysters can still be found throughout most of their historic distribution. Looking to the future, as our region’s marine waters experience effects of climate change and ocean acidification (OA), native species such as the Olympia oyster may prove to …


The Center For Creative Conservation: Fostering Novel Collaborations For Regional Sustainability, Sara J. Breslow, Joshua Lawler, Julian Olden, Spencer Wood Apr 2018

The Center For Creative Conservation: Fostering Novel Collaborations For Regional Sustainability, Sara J. Breslow, Joshua Lawler, Julian Olden, Spencer Wood

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Broad environmental and social forces are affecting our regional ecosystems and impacting the communities who depend on them in diverse ways. Addressing these complex social-ecological challenges necessitates growth in the collective wisdom of society. The Center for Creative Conservation at the University of Washington is addressing this need by promoting innovative solutions to complex environmental problems through fostering collaborations across broadly diverse disciplines, sectors, and communities. We strive to learn and apply best practices of transdisciplinarity, meaning authentically engaging different modes of knowing toward novel and integrated ideas, methods, and applications. For example, we convene medical researchers with ecologists, urban …


Noaa Rockfish Recovery Management And Research In The Salish Sea, Washington, James R. (James Robert) Selleck, Dan Tonnes Apr 2018

Noaa Rockfish Recovery Management And Research In The Salish Sea, Washington, James R. (James Robert) Selleck, Dan Tonnes

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Rockfish are a long-lived species group that provide an important function for the food web dynamics in the Salish Sea, as both a mid-level trophic predator and important prey source, and they hold cultural significance to the region. Rockfish are comprised of over 25 different species locally, and over 60 species from California to Alaska. Many species experienced declines since the 1980’s, and two species are listed in the Salish Sea under ESA as threatened (yelloweye) or endangered (Bocaccio). Different species occupy a range of habitat types, from deep-water rock piles and hard bottom substrate, to nearshore kelp forests and …