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Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Toxicity Of Gasoline, Diesel And Weathered Diesel Related Petroleum Hydrocarbons To Freshwater And Marine Organisms, Curtis Eickhoff
Toxicity Of Gasoline, Diesel And Weathered Diesel Related Petroleum Hydrocarbons To Freshwater And Marine Organisms, Curtis Eickhoff
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The purpose of this study was to determine environmental effects-based concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons for assessing the impacts of fresh gasoline and fresh or weathered diesel in the freshwater and marine environments. The study was conducted by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Nautilus Environmental to determine the NOEC and LOEC of gasoline, diesel and weathered diesel, in addition to IC25 and IC50 endpoints, using aquatic toxicity bioassays. In separate experiments, hydrocarbons within either the diesel or gasoline range were spiked into toxicity test solutions and weathered diesel in contaminated groundwater was obtained from a well-characterised site …
Watersheds And Salmon, Student-Driven Habitat Restoration Projects; Increasing Engagement And Place-Based Learning Through Community Partnerships, Rachel Vasak
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) Students for Salmon (SFS) Program is an established 4th grade education program that has served public and private schools, including tribal and homeschool cooperatives in Whatcom County for 20 years at no cost. This multi-stage program includes both in-classroom and outdoor activities over a course of 5-6 weeks. The SFS Program builds a powerful continuum of awareness to action, building on traditional, science-oriented, environmental education. After conducting extensive scientific habitat assessments on local creeks, students then take direct action to restore critical salmon habitat to improve riparian conditions. Students additionally learn how community partnerships …
A Coastal Health Report Mobilized Community Members To Improve A Marine Environment, Amber Dearden
A Coastal Health Report Mobilized Community Members To Improve A Marine Environment, Amber Dearden
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Howe Sound/Atl’ḵa7tsem is a fjord located close to Vancouver BC, dotted with islands, and home to several communities and many unique marine species. Due to multiple factors including historical industries throughout the fjord and a growing human population with subsequent development, the marine environment became degraded, leading in some cases to population level species impacts. In 2017, an Ocean Watch report was released to summarize the state of Howe Sound/Atl’ḵa7tsem’s coastal ocean environment. The articles contained in the report included recommended actions to improve the marine environment throughout the fjord. These actions were consolidated into an Action Plan containing seven …
Can Larval Dispersal Explain Differences In Population Structure Of Esa-Listed Rockfish In Puget Sound?, Kelly S. Andrews
Can Larval Dispersal Explain Differences In Population Structure Of Esa-Listed Rockfish In Puget Sound?, Kelly S. Andrews
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
In 2010, three species of rockfish in the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PSGB) region were listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Subsequent genetic analyses revealed that yelloweye rockfish in PSGB were genetically differentiated from individuals on the outer coast; while canary rockfish showed no population structure among these geographic regions. These results confirmed the listing status of yelloweye rockfish in PSGB as a “distinct population segment” (DPS), but suggested that canary rockfish in PSGB were not a DPS, which led to their removal from the endangered species list. Here, we test whether larval dispersal could be a mechanism for the …
A Coastal Restoration Online Toolkit - Helping Non-Professionals Go From Idea To Restoration Project, Elsa Schwartz
A Coastal Restoration Online Toolkit - Helping Non-Professionals Go From Idea To Restoration Project, Elsa Schwartz
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Staff at public agencies and non-profit organizations often receive phone calls or applications from individuals outside the professional restoration community (e.g. NGOs, municipalities, or individuals) who have a sincere desire to restore local habitats, but have difficulties figuring out where to begin. Restore America’s Estuaries has developed an online “Toolkit” to support coastal residents and citizen scientists who identify problems with their local coastal environment and have an interest in transforming the idea into a project. The Toolkit enables community members who aspire to improve their local ecosystem, but who need the information and guidance to go from project idea, …
Building A Habitat Suitability Index For Olympia Oyster Restoration, Charlotte Dohrn
Building A Habitat Suitability Index For Olympia Oyster Restoration, Charlotte Dohrn
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) are the only oyster species native to the west coast of North America. Historical overharvest and environmental stressors have reduced the current population to less than 5% of historic numbers throughout Puget Sound. Restoring native oysters is a priority in Puget Sound and coastwide; oysters provide ecosystem services and may provide critical elements of resilience in coastal ecosystems under changing ocean conditions. The Puget Sound Restoration Fund and partners have been restoring Olympia oysters in Puget Sound for two decades. To support restoration planning, we developed a habitat suitability index model to identify optimal locations for …
Effect Of Diluted Bitumen On The Survival, Physiology, And Behavior Of The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata) And Relevance To Birds Of The Salish Sea, Elizabeth Ruberg
Effect Of Diluted Bitumen On The Survival, Physiology, And Behavior Of The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata) And Relevance To Birds Of The Salish Sea, Elizabeth Ruberg
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Given the ongoing and potential increases in shipment of diluted bitumen (dilbit) out of the port of Vancouver, there is a need for toxicity data to assess the impact of catastrophic dilbit spillage on wildlife, particularly in the Salish Sea. Peer reviewed literature on dilbit toxicity is limited to teleost fish, despite the importance of coastal waters as habitat for a diverse bird fauna, including listed species. In this study we used the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) as a tractable, avian model system for preliminary studies on Cold Lake blend dilbit. Objectives were to 1) determine appropriate methods of establishing …
Identifying Cumulative Impact Thresholds: Implications For Marine Spatial Planning, Selina Agbayani
Identifying Cumulative Impact Thresholds: Implications For Marine Spatial Planning, Selina Agbayani
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Cumulative impact mapping can be a useful tool for marine spatial planning because the results can identify discrete areas in which ecosystems, habitats, or species are most affected by stressors associated with human activities. This information can help planners and managers prioritize areas for management, identify pristine areas for protection and degraded areas for restoration, and can be included as a cost layer in tradeoff analyses. A key challenge in using cumulative impact mapping in marine spatial planning is the issue of identifying appropriate thresholds for distinguishing the status of areas. To date, the interpretation of cumulative impact mapping model …
Investigating The Presence And Trophic Transfer Of Microplastics In Ex- And In-Situ North American Otters Through Scat And Diet Analysis, Jennifer Brocklin Van
Investigating The Presence And Trophic Transfer Of Microplastics In Ex- And In-Situ North American Otters Through Scat And Diet Analysis, Jennifer Brocklin Van
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
While an increasing number of studies have examined the presence and effects of microplastics in aquatic organisms like invertebrates and fish, there is still a dearth of knowledge about their impact on mammals in higher trophic levels. Both sea and river otters act as valuable indicators of ecosystem health and consume prey items that have been shown to contain microplastics. As such, we are investigating the ingestion of microplastics by sea otters (Enhydra lutris) and North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) in the North Pacific using scat. Our study includes samples from ex-situ and in-situ individuals and also analyzes otter …
Temporal Variability Of Phytoplankton Communities In Padilla Bay, Washington, Holly Young
Temporal Variability Of Phytoplankton Communities In Padilla Bay, Washington, Holly Young
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Phytoplankton are a critical component of estuarine food webs and changes in their community composition may indicate shifts in ecosystem-scale processes, such as grazing pressure or nutrient availability. However, seasonal variability of phytoplankton communities and potential links to ecosystem processes are not well understood in Padilla Bay. To meet this research need, we have established a monitoring program to investigate how phytoplankton communities change over time. These monitoring efforts are part of a reserve wide program that investigates water quality, zooplankton, and phytoplankton across four sites in Padilla Bay. The present study focuses on phytoplankton collected at an open water …
Utility Of The Strait Of Georgia Data Centre As A Marine Spatial Planning Tool, Benjamin Skinner
Utility Of The Strait Of Georgia Data Centre As A Marine Spatial Planning Tool, Benjamin Skinner
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Strait of Georgia Data Centre (SGDC) has been developed to serve as a secure repository and archive for marine ecosystem data specific to the Strait of Georgia (www.sogdatacentre.ca) and is a collaborative effort between the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the University of British Columbia. From the website the public can access literature specific to the Strait of Georgia, general information about the ecosystems of the Strait of Georgia, as well as search for and download available data and metadata. One focus of the SGDC has been to provide a centralized hub from which users can search, view and download …
A Controlled Designation Of Origin Should Be Created For The Salish Sea, Riley Starks
A Controlled Designation Of Origin Should Be Created For The Salish Sea, Riley Starks
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
SalishCenter.org seeks to create a geographical destination called Salish Sea Certified. This controlled designation signifies that seafood harvested within the geographical boundaries of the Salish Sea, qualifies to be designated as such. We are currently working with government and stakeholders to accomplish this important goal. We believe that informed consumers will soon recognize the benefits of seafood harvested from local waters, and in turn, will be motivated to protect and improve the ecosystem of the Salish Sea. Our strong messaging and education strategy will give consumers an opportunity to develop a deep and meaningful relationship with local marine waters.
Assessing The Statistical Similarity Of Port Susan Bay Restoration And Reference Sites, Madison Hoiland
Assessing The Statistical Similarity Of Port Susan Bay Restoration And Reference Sites, Madison Hoiland
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Climate change and human interactions pose significant threats for the health of estuaries. In 2012 The Nature Conservancy (TNC) removed a dike at the mouth of the Stillaguamish river to restore ecosystem functioning and resilience to climate change. Monitoring reference zones is critical for contextualizing growth patterns in complicated systems like estuaries. The purpose of this study was to determine which reference zones were most similar to the restoration zone in Port Susan Bay. Using bulrush measurements collected during my internship with TNC, I used an excel T test to assess statistical similarity between zones based on the means of …
Climate Change Threatens Net Energy Uptake, Maturation, And Reproduction Of Pacific Sand Lance (Ammodytes Personatus) In The Central Salish Sea, Russel Barsh
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Juvenile Pacific Herring and Pacific Sand Lance (PSL) are the main prey of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating seaward through the San Juan Islands. Herring and Sand Lance also dominate the diet of resident Chinook (“Blackmouth”) that undoubtedly played an important historical role in the evolution of resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) lineages. Many Salish Sea marine birds target Pacific Herring or Pacific Sand Lance as well. Pacific Sand Lance abundance fluctuates considerably in the central Salish Sea, with an overall downward trend since 2009. The role of this forage fish in the Chinook-Killer Whale food web, and survival of many …
Connecting Nodes Throughout The Salish Sea: A Bottom-Up Approach To Strengthening Informed Decision-Making, Policy Making, And Marine Spatial Planning, Bridget John
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Salish Sea is an intricate coastal region that faces myriad anthropogenic challenges. With ocean acidification and warming, an expanding human population, and marine shipping traffic, it is clear that this biologically rich ecosystem requires tools and strategies that link science to policy and conservation actions. One of the core problems in the vast Salish Sea is a lack of connectivity and continuity across communities that conduct research, restoration, and marine spatial planning (MSP): often communities develop plans and policies in silos without sharing information or methods outside of their tight jurisdictions. The Howe Sound/Atl’ka7tsem Marine Reference Guide offers an …
Effects Of Local Topography On Streamflow And Stream Temperatures In Fish-Bearing Mountainous Streams Under A Warming Climate, Ryan David Murphy
Effects Of Local Topography On Streamflow And Stream Temperatures In Fish-Bearing Mountainous Streams Under A Warming Climate, Ryan David Murphy
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Western Washington is home to many indigenous tribal communities that have relied on the bountiful natural resources of the region for many hundreds of years. Mountainous watersheds provide valuable fish habitat for culturally and economically important fish species, such as salmonids. Given the historically temperate weather of the Pacific Northwest that is characterized by large amounts of both rainfall and snowfall, concern has grown over the effects that a warming climate might have on freshwater fish habitat. We use the high resolution Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) and coupled stream temperature River Basin Model (RBM) to examine the potential …
Elliott Bay Seawall Habitat Features -- Initial Monitoring Results For Nearshore Ecosystem, Merri Martz
Elliott Bay Seawall Habitat Features -- Initial Monitoring Results For Nearshore Ecosystem, Merri Martz
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The City of Seattle is completing the replacement of the Elliott Bay Seawall along its downtown urban waterfront that included the installation of numerous unique features to enhance the nearshore marine shoreline for salmon migration and to improve nearshore productivity and the food web. The urbanized waterfront is constrained by numerous large piers that shade the nearshore and adjacent deep water from a historical legacy of filling in the nearshore. Key issues addressed by the project included improving natural lighting behind and under several large piers and providing an intertidal habitat corridor along the shoreline. This presentation will describe the …
Fungi Distribution In The Elwha Restoration Ecosystem, Colter Lemons
Fungi Distribution In The Elwha Restoration Ecosystem, Colter Lemons
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Fungi distribution in the Elwha restoration ecosystem Colter Lemons, Mary Childress Huxley College of the Environment Western Washington University Bellingham, Washington USA Abstract Fungi play important roles in forest restoration, however, factors affecting fungal species composition and distribution are unknown for restoration associated with dam removal. The need for this information is pressing as the number of dams approaching the end of their useful lives grows rapidly. This study aimed to answer what environmental factors influence fungal distribution in the Elwha restoration ecosystem, the largest dam removal in history. Fungal distributions were sampled in two Elwha study areas: the largest …
Habitat Recovery In The Salish Sea, One Community At A Time: Community Engagement For Socio-Ecological Resilience Of Coastal Restoration Projects, Anuradha Rao
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Community engagement builds both social and ecological resilience of restoration projects. This is particularly true in coastal areas, which are complex both ecologically and socially. The Salish Sea Nearshore Habitat Recovery Program builds on 20 years of community building towards coastal ecosystem restoration on the south coast of British Columbia, Canada. Funding was obtained by a small non-profit organization for seagrass and marine riparian restoration, and marine debris removal to support forage fish and juvenile salmon habitat recovery. The engagement and involvement of a broad community including Indigenous groups, coastal residents, all levels of government, academics and industry has resulted …
Juniorseadoctors.Org, Club And Hub For Salish Sea-Based Education, Mira Castle Lutz Castle
Juniorseadoctors.Org, Club And Hub For Salish Sea-Based Education, Mira Castle Lutz Castle
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
SeaDoc Society youth education is raising Salish Sea literacy in youth and helping teachers meet science standards in a 3-part program: • Explore the Salish Sea A Nature Guide for Kids book and accompanying standards-aligned curriculum. Curriculum is being used in grades 3-8 classrooms, and also by marine education programs, who find that students who experience Explore the Salish Sea books and curriculum before a field experience have higher levels of enthusiasm and engagement during their program. • Junior SeaDoctors Club and Hub • Club For Kids: an online Salish Sea science club for kids in grades 3-8 with featured …
Measuring The Effectiveness Of Seattle’S Seawall Enhancements On Juvenile Salmon-An Acoustic Perspective, Kerry Accola
Measuring The Effectiveness Of Seattle’S Seawall Enhancements On Juvenile Salmon-An Acoustic Perspective, Kerry Accola
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Seattle’s waterfront is a key migration route for juvenile Pacific salmon including: Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), and chum (Oncorhynchus keta). The hardwired tendency of these salmon to inhabit nearshore waters results in close association with coastline urbanization, including piers and seawalls. Part of Seattle’s seawall was replaced in 2018 with enhancements intended to aid the movement and distribution of juvenile salmon. These enhancements include: light-penetrating glass blocks in the overhanging sidewalk to decrease shade in the water below, a bench along the seawall to restore shallow water depths, and textured seawall and shelves for invertebrate colonization. The objective …
Never Underestimate A Well-Placed Poop Joke: Getting To The Bottom Of Water Quality Problems With A Fresh Take On Outreach, Karen Dubose
Never Underestimate A Well-Placed Poop Joke: Getting To The Bottom Of Water Quality Problems With A Fresh Take On Outreach, Karen Dubose
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Skagit County has been working hard to get to the bottom of local water quality problems. After 8 years, we faced a problem: our messaging had gotten stale and our progress was...a little backed up. Using the theory of social marketing, the county worked with a consultant to develop a campaign with a sense of humor that leaves out the lectures and respects our residents’ limited time and money. The PoopSmart campaign channels everyone’s inner five year old, using poop jokes to encourage everyone to do their dooty to manage livestock, pet, and human waste better. The results? A measurable …
Ocean Watch Reports And The Ocean Watch Task Force: A Powerful Science Translation Combination, Aroha Miller
Ocean Watch Reports And The Ocean Watch Task Force: A Powerful Science Translation Combination, Aroha Miller
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Howe Sound/Atl’ḵa7tsem is a fjord located within the Salish Sea. Over the last 100 plus years, this marine environment became degraded from industrial pollution, a growing human population and the consequent environmental pressures. In 2017, an Ocean Watch report on the state of Howe Sound/Atl’ḵa7tsem’s coastal ocean environment was released. The report provided evidence-based knowledge on key topics or issues, including several recommended actions. The report was written in accessible language to convey why and how actions needed to be taken and many important actions were listed for governments. In order to advocate for recommended actions, the Ocean Watch Task …
Progress On Eccc’S Contribution To A New Initiative Component That Focuses On Marine Vessel Emissions And Mitigations In The Salish Sea., Katelyn Wells
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
As a result of the National Energy Board’s (NEB) Reconsideration Report on the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project there are accommodation measures that are intended to mitigate, avoid or lessen potential effects associated with the project and related marine shipping. Environment Climate Change Canada (ECCC), along with other federal agencies, is working to implement the Salish Sea Initiative. One aspect in particular is analysis related to cumulative effects and mitigation measures for regional marine vessel air pollutant emissions. Marine vessel traffic is a significant source of air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions in the Salish Sea, affecting air quality in …
Puget Sound Vital Sign Revision: Objectives For Puget Sound Recovery And Protection, Ron Thom
Puget Sound Vital Sign Revision: Objectives For Puget Sound Recovery And Protection, Ron Thom
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Since the mid-1980’s, there have been focused federal, state and local efforts to restore the Puget Sound ecosystem. Beginning in 2008 the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) has produced Action Agendas that describe comprehensive recovery programs and, since 2011, have identified a set of Vital Signs and indicators. As of 2018, PSP identified 25 Vital Signs (VS) with 52 affiliated indicators. The PSP is now undertaking a collaborative effort to revise the VS and indicators to address known concerns and to situate them in a framework of other types of progress measures. Revised VS and indicators will characterize biophysical condition and …
Reefs For Rockfish: A Collaborative Approach To Monitor Populations And Increase Awareness In Howe Sound., Amanda Weltman
Reefs For Rockfish: A Collaborative Approach To Monitor Populations And Increase Awareness In Howe Sound., Amanda Weltman
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Artificial reefs are a conservation tool that can increase biodiversity and habitat complexity in degraded habitats around the world. In some areas, they can be effective at helping to counter stressors such as overfishing by increasing the abundance of coral and fish. In addition to providing habitat, they also provide an opportunity to engage non-scientists in monitoring projects as the public can be involved in both the design and monitoring of these artificial structures. While numerous artificial reef projects exist, many are located in warm tropical waters with limited focus on the role that artificial structures can play for fish …
Seasonal Trends In Cu, Ag And Cd Content In Strait Of Georgia Zooplankton, Bertha Iselle Flores Ruiz
Seasonal Trends In Cu, Ag And Cd Content In Strait Of Georgia Zooplankton, Bertha Iselle Flores Ruiz
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The temporal variations of copper (Cu), silver (Ag) and cadmium (Cd) content in the Strait of Georgia (SoG) zooplankton were measured between 2017 and 2018. We present the first values measured for these trace metals in zooplankton from this region and how they compare with values in other regions in the world. Our results suggest that there are significant seasonal trends in carbon-normalized Ag and Cu contents in zooplankton, and that these two metals tend to increase with increasing zooplankton size. Additionally, the trends on metal content in Ag –a toxic, nonessential metal– are similar to those for Cu-an essential …
Sound Impacts 2.0, Aaron Clark
Sound Impacts 2.0, Aaron Clark
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
In 2015, Stewardship Partners began creating a pilot impact metrics portal for Puget Sound called Sound Impacts (www.SoundImpacts.org). Now in its 4th year of operation, the portal tracks and provides data-based storytelling resources for 6,332 individual projects that have an estimated annual impact of managing 815,258,094 gallons of stormwater. Dozens of organizations and agencies are using Sound Impacts to track and catalog their efforts and others are using it as they consider how and where to make new investments in ecological restoration and green infrastructure. In 2020, Sound Impacts will undergo a redevelopment to add ecological impacts and co-benefits beyond …
Species Checklists For Salish Sea Seaweeds, Isaak Haberman
Species Checklists For Salish Sea Seaweeds, Isaak Haberman
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
There are nearly 700 seaweed species, subspecies and varieties reported in the Northeast Pacific, many with a distribution that includes British Columbia. Yet, it can be difficult to access reported distribution information at a regional scale; for example: does a seaweed species reported from Southern B.C. include the Salish Sea or just the West coast of Vancouver Island? Occurrence data for many seaweeds exist in the form of herbarium specimens, DNA records, and observations made by governmental agencies and citizen science initiatives. However, there are challenges to building species lists from these data, including: difficulty collating the disparate data types …
The Hood Canal Bridge Impedes Migration Of Juvenile Salmonids, Emily Bishop
The Hood Canal Bridge Impedes Migration Of Juvenile Salmonids, Emily Bishop
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Between 2006 and 2010, Moore et al. (2013) conducted an acoustic tagging study to evaluate early marine survival of outmigrating steelhead. Results of that study showed high mortality near the Hood Canal Bridge, ranging between 0 and 36%, which led to the formation of the Hood Canal Bridge Assessment Team. The Assessment Team set out to examine water quality, predator presence, and physical aspects of the bridge structure as they related to steelhead outmigration in 2017 and 2018. As part of the Team, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe used a variety of sampling techniques to characterize biota assemblage, abundance, and …