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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Citizen Scientific Method: Tapping A Human Natural Resource In Ecosystem Restoration, Bianca S. Perla, Greg Rabourn
The Citizen Scientific Method: Tapping A Human Natural Resource In Ecosystem Restoration, Bianca S. Perla, Greg Rabourn
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Citizen science forms a nexus point between research and education, between social outreach and project implementation, and between local knowledge (traditional ecological knowledge) and scientific knowledge. For this reason, citizen science can be a valuable tool to integrate the many different players in ecosystem restoration projects and help projects succeed. Citizen science can increase civic engagement in ecosystem restoration, fill in data gaps, and help make adaptive ecosystem management a real community process. However, significant challenges often impede the ability of citizen science projects to reach their full potential. Here, we discuss trends and insights gained through examining three citizen …
Spatio-Temporal Variation In The Nearshore Forage Fish Community In The Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Kinsey L. Frick, Anna Kagley, Kurt Fresh, Larry Ward, Jameal Samhouri, A. Ole Shelton
Spatio-Temporal Variation In The Nearshore Forage Fish Community In The Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Kinsey L. Frick, Anna Kagley, Kurt Fresh, Larry Ward, Jameal Samhouri, A. Ole Shelton
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Nearshore marine habitats in the Salish Sea support populations of many fish species including migrating juvenile salmon, benthic sculpins, and rearing and spawning forage fish. The Strait of Juan de Fuca (SJF) is critical as a corridor between the Pacific Ocean and inland water bodies. Though known to utilize this area, the population dynamics of ecologically important forage fish are poorly understood. Over 9 years of monthly beach seine sampling (April – September) at 24 sites along 70 km of coastline in the SJF, we have observed high variability in fish catch across years, sites, and seasons. Annual catches ranged …
Surf Smelt Spawning Habitat Trends In South Puget Sound, Erin Dilworth, Phillip Dionne
Surf Smelt Spawning Habitat Trends In South Puget Sound, Erin Dilworth, Phillip Dionne
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Forage fish such as surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) are a crucial piece of the marine food web in the Salish Sea as they are a vital conduit of energy from primary producers to higher level consumers, like marine mammals, seabirds, and salmon. Protection of forage fish spawning habitat is afforded under the Washington State Hydraulic Code, but in order for this habitat to be protected we must be able to document where it occurs. Surveys for nearshore spawning forage fish were first implemented by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) beginning in 1972. These early surveys were sometimes …
Salmonid Distribution And Abundance In The Context Of Elwha River Dam Removals, Anna Kagley, Kinsey Frick, Kurt L. Fresh, Larry Ward, Jameal Samhouri, Ole Shelton
Salmonid Distribution And Abundance In The Context Of Elwha River Dam Removals, Anna Kagley, Kinsey Frick, Kurt L. Fresh, Larry Ward, Jameal Samhouri, Ole Shelton
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Removal of two dams on the Elwha River, Washington from 2011 to 2014 has begun to restore natural sediment processes to the coastal environment near the river mouth. Since 2006, we have been collecting data on shallow subtidal (nearshore) fish communities near the Elwha River and at reference sites in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to assess fish response to sediment changes resulting from dam removal. Juvenile salmon (Chinook, coho, pink and chum salmon) migrate through this region, which also supports ecologically important forage fish and endemic benthic fauna. Beach seine samples collected annually from April through September from …
Forage Fish In The Southern Salish Sea: Results Of The Midwater Acoustic Trawl Survey, Todd Sandell, Michael Burger, Adam Lindquist, Patrick Biondo, Dayv Lowry
Forage Fish In The Southern Salish Sea: Results Of The Midwater Acoustic Trawl Survey, Todd Sandell, Michael Burger, Adam Lindquist, Patrick Biondo, Dayv Lowry
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The WDFW conducted a mid-water trawl/hydroacoustic survey at 18 index reaches across the southern Salish Sea (SSS) from Olympia to the Canadian Border, and into the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. Sampling occurred every other month from February 2016 to February 2017 to gather hydroacoustic data paired with pelagic trawls, vertical plankton tows, and CTD casts. Although 96 different species of fish and invertebrates were captured in the trawls, nine species made up 96% of the overall catch. Catch data demonstrated that Pacific Herring, a common prey of salmon, groundfish, seabirds, and marine mammals, were the most abundant forage …
Where Have All The Forage Fish Gone? Response Of Rhinoceros Auklets To An Anomalously Poor Breeding Season, Peter Hodum, Scott F. Pearson, Tom Good
Where Have All The Forage Fish Gone? Response Of Rhinoceros Auklets To An Anomalously Poor Breeding Season, Peter Hodum, Scott F. Pearson, Tom Good
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The effectiveness of using seabirds as indicators of marine conditions is predicated on the idea that focal species are sensitive to changes in environmental parameters. Species with more behavioral plasticity may be less sensitive to and presumably buffered from a wider range of environmental conditions, thereby compensating for potential perturbations in the system. Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) breeding populations in Washington State typically show little interannual variability in reproductive parameters, suggesting that they are relatively insensitive to the range of conditions that they typically experience. However, in 2016, we documented a highly anomalous breeding season for Rhinoceros Auklets on Protection …