Salmon Farms: Are We Making Progress,
2018
Raincoast Research Society, Canada
Salmon Farms: Are We Making Progress, Alexandra Morton
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Commercial finfish aquaculture has endured a turbulent thirty years since its arrival in British Columbia. The international record on the state of wild salmonid populations exposed to salmon farms is not encouraging as there is no region where salmon farming and stable wild salmonid populations coexist. The industry has made changes as it matures, reporting better siting, sea lice control and vaccines. However at the same time the number of fish per farm has risen to 1.7 million, adjacent commercial fisheries are largely closed, orca are increasing failing to carry offspring full term and First Nations are without food fish. …
Apex Predator Behaviour In A Changing Salish Sea: Determining The Role Bald Eagle Foraging Behaviour Plays In Nutrient Cycling And Terrestrial Food Webs Under Diminishing Salmon Populations,
2018
Simon Fraser Univ., Canada
Apex Predator Behaviour In A Changing Salish Sea: Determining The Role Bald Eagle Foraging Behaviour Plays In Nutrient Cycling And Terrestrial Food Webs Under Diminishing Salmon Populations, Kristen Walters, Ron Ydenberg, John Reynolds
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The semelparous salmonid species are the ecological foundation of Pacific Northwest coastal ecosystems, which span across the international border to encompass the Salish Sea. The annual return of salmonids to their natal streams and decomposition of their carcasses deposits marine-derived nutrients into freshwater ecosystems, which are integral to food web dynamics, nutrient cycling and habitat quality. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are apex predators that congregate along riverbanks to scavenge accumulated carcasses, which results in individuals using piracy to steal food items from others. Winners fly to nearby trees to consume carcasses, which are dropped to the forest floor and decomposed …
Water Quality Effects Of Fish Habitat Restoration At Lone Tree Creek,
2018
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, United States
Water Quality Effects Of Fish Habitat Restoration At Lone Tree Creek, Nicole Casper, Shannon M. Buckham
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Lone Tree Creek is located on the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) Reservation. The creek’s watershed includes pocket estuary habitat, discharges over shellfish beds, an important resource for the Swinomish People, and flows into northern Skagit Bay. In 2006, extensive creek restoration replaced culverts, restored tidal influence to the pocket estuary, and planted riparian buffers, successfully restoring rearing habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon. Beyond fish habitat benefits, SITC wanted to assess long-term restoration effects on creek water quality and its associated pocket estuary, lagoon and bay. Water quality monitoring for conventional parameters and bacteria spanned 1997-2016 (10 years pre- and …
Policy, Science, Economics And Culture At A Crossroads: Restoring The Deschutes River Estuary,
2018
Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team, United States
Policy, Science, Economics And Culture At A Crossroads: Restoring The Deschutes River Estuary, Dave Peeler, Sue Patnude
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The potential restoration of the Deschutes Estuary in South Puget Sound has raised a unique set of disparate policy, scientific, economic and cultural interests and perspectives. The Deschutes River Estuary historically provided habitat for an abundance of shellfish and a large estuarine area for migrating salmonids at the southern extreme of Puget Sound. In 1951 the State constructed a dam across the estuary, totally transforming the estuary and creating Capitol Lake, a freshwater body. The dam also provided a transportation route to West Olympia across Budd Inlet. Creation of the lake also transformed the habitat, hydrology and water quality of …
Response Of Salish Sea Circulation And Water Quality To Climate Change And Sea Level Rise,
2018
Pacific Northwest National Lab., United States
Response Of Salish Sea Circulation And Water Quality To Climate Change And Sea Level Rise, Wenwei Xu, Tarang Khangaonkar, Karthik Balaguru, Ben Cope, Jeffrey Arnold
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
There is much interest in the Pacific Northwest community and water quality management agencies to better understand and predict long term changes in the Salish Sea water quality given periodic occurrences of hypoxia and evidence of coastal acidification. However, the projected interaction of riverine and estuarine systems under potential future climate-change scenarios is not well characterized in the Salish Sea area. In this study, the Salish Sea Model of circulation and water quality developed using FVCOM-ICM model was applied to provide insights on how estuarine/nearshore environments may be impacted in the future. It serves as a proof-of-concept assessment of the …
Mortality Risk And Social Network Position In Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca): Sex Differences And The Importance Of Salmon Abundance,
2018
University of Exeter
Mortality Risk And Social Network Position In Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca): Sex Differences And The Importance Of Salmon Abundance, Sam Ellis, Daniel Franks, Stuart Nattrass, Michael Cant, Michael Weiss, Deborah Giles, Kenneth C. Balcomb, Darren Croft
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
An individual's ecological environment affects its mortality risk, which in turn has fundamental consequences for life-history evolution and population viability. In many species, social relationships are likely to be an important component of an individual's environment, and therefore mortality risk. Here, we examine the relationship between social position and mortality risk in Southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) using over three decades of social and demographic data. We find that the social position of male, but not female, killer whales in their social unit predicts their mortality risk. More socially integrated males have a significantly lower risk of mortality than …
Engineering Sustainable Shorelines: An Evaluation Framework,
2018
SNC-Lavalin, Canada
Engineering Sustainable Shorelines: An Evaluation Framework, Jessica Wilson, John Readshaw, Cliff Robinson, Luke Sales, Bob Weir
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Over the past century, many of the shorelines in the Salish Sea have undergone a transformation from natural to armoured. In response, there is now a significant push to use soft solutions, such as gravel beaches and vegetation, to try to mitigate effects on the natural environment. While in many areas soft solutions are entirely appropriate, in others they do not provide adequate protection from erosion or flooding. This presentation explores the idea that a one-size-fits-all solution is insufficient, and outlines a novel evaluation framework to assess the feasibility of shoreline protection works using 11 environmental and engineering performance indicators. …
Applying The Tools In The Marine Shoreline Design Guidelines (Msdg) To Select Marine Bank Protection Techniques,
2018
Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, United States
Applying The Tools In The Marine Shoreline Design Guidelines (Msdg) To Select Marine Bank Protection Techniques, Corey Morss, Padraic Smith
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Marine Shoreline Design Guidelines (MSDG) was released four years ago to describe coastal process generally, site analysis, selection of appropriate shore protection, and design as well as if bank protection was needed at all. WDFW encourages use of the MSDG to assure the range of options are considered, specific to the characteristics of the site. As a means of continuing to support MSDG as a design guideline, and helping to familiarize non-designers with its concepts WDFW will develop and deliver a series of collaborative workshops, training sessions, and technical assistance for both design and non-design professionals and the restoration …
Evaluating Anthropogenic Threats To Endangered Killer Whales To Inform Effective Recovery Plans,
2018
Chicago Zoological Society (Ill.)
Evaluating Anthropogenic Threats To Endangered Killer Whales To Inform Effective Recovery Plans, Robert Lacy, Rob Williams, Erin Ashe, Chris Clark, Kenneth C. Balcomb, Lauren Brent, Daren Croft, Deborah Giles, Paul C. Paquet, Misty Macduffee
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Understanding cumulative effects of multiple threats is key to guiding effective management to conserve endangered species. The critically endangered, Southern Resident killer whale population of the northeastern Pacific Ocean provides a data-rich case to explore anthropogenic threats on population viability. Primary threats include: limitation of preferred prey, Chinook salmon; anthropogenic noise and disturbance, which reduce foraging efficiency; and high levels of stored contaminants, including PCBs. We constructed a population viability analysis to explore possible demographic trajectories and the relative importance of anthropogenic stressors. The population is fragile, with no growth projected under current conditions, and decline expected if new or …
Monitoring And Adaptation Management Of Revegetation In The Former Elwha Reservoirs,
2018
Olympic National Park, United States
Monitoring And Adaptation Management Of Revegetation In The Former Elwha Reservoirs, Joshua Chenoweth, Mike Mchenry
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Dam removal on the Elwha River exposed over 280 hectares of valley slope, terrace, and floodplain landforms covered in millions of cubic meters of sediments deposited before and during dam removal. These sediments are either extremely coarse in texture (sands, gravels and cobbles) or very fine (silt and clay) and range in depth from 0.5 to 20 meters. This unprecedented condition dictated an adaptive management approach to revegetation. A seven-year revegetation plan that included over 90 permanent plots monitored annually was implemented to provide management with insight into natural and managed revegetation progress in these distinctly different sediment surfaces. With …
Estimating River Flows Across Basins Using Water Isotopes,
2018
Univ. of Washington, United States
Estimating River Flows Across Basins Using Water Isotopes, Lillian Mcgill, Ashley E. Steel, Renee J. Brooks
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Global warming is expected to dramatically alter the timing and quantity of water within the nation’s river systems; however, these impacts will be heterogeneous both within river basins and across regions. A detailed understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of water sources across river networks is therefore central to managing the impacts of climate change. Stable isotopes of water (2H:1H & 18O:16O) provide an emerging method for elucidating the contributions of varying water sources to rivers. Because the stable isotope composition of precipitation varies geographically, variation in the stable isotope composition of river water indicates the volume-weighted integration of …
Application Of Salish Sea Model: Water Quality Improvement Through Anthropogenic Nutrient Reductions,
2018
Washington State Dept. of Ecology, United States
Application Of Salish Sea Model: Water Quality Improvement Through Anthropogenic Nutrient Reductions, Anise Ahmed
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Salish Sea includes a network of coastal waterways spanning the southwest British Columbia (Canada) and northwest Washington State (USA) and includes the major waterbodies, the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. The Salish Sea Model was developed by PNNL in cooperation with Ecology based on the unstructured FVCOM model for hydrodynamics and the CE-QUAL-ICM model for water quality. The model is forced by river and wastewater inflows, tides, wind and solar radiation. The land based freshwater inputs include almost 100 wastewater plants (municipal and industrial) as well as another 100 or so watershed inflows …
Pcb And Pbde Levels In Southern And Northern Resident Killer Whales: Update On Contaminant Levels And Related Health Effects,
2018
Ocean Wise, Canada
Pcb And Pbde Levels In Southern And Northern Resident Killer Whales: Update On Contaminant Levels And Related Health Effects, Marie Noel, Gina Maria Ylitalo, Brad Hanson, Jared R. Towers, Peter Ross
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Salish Sea’s killer whale populations are among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world and face risks related to the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and related contaminants such as polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs). While PCBs have long been banned, they continue to present toxic risks to marine mammals, along with a number of other, emerging persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) contaminants. Since PBTs have been identified as a threat to the recovery of resident killer whale populations under the auspices of the US Endangered Species Act and the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA), documenting the presence, trends and …
Reanalysis Of Continuous Shellfish Monitoring Data In Pursuit Of Temporal And Spatial Patterns Of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins In The Puget Sound/Salish Sea,
2018
Stillaguamish Tribe, United States
Reanalysis Of Continuous Shellfish Monitoring Data In Pursuit Of Temporal And Spatial Patterns Of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins In The Puget Sound/Salish Sea, Margaret L. Taylor, Erika Mcphee-Shaw, Stephanie K. Moore, Cheryl Greengrove
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are of growing concern on the West Coast of North America. The dinoflagellate Alexandrium catanella is known to produce toxins that have the potential to concentrate in shellfish and, when consumed by humans or marine mammals, may result in Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) leading to illness or death. In Puget Sound, the Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) collects and tests shellfish samples to protect the health and safety of shellfish consumers as well as the livelihood of the extensive local shellfish industry. Such data have been collected since the 1950s. We analyze data from 2003 …
Boundary Bay Ambient Monitoring Program,
2018
Metro Vancouver Regional District, Canada
Boundary Bay Ambient Monitoring Program, Carrie Hightower
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Metro Vancouver Regional District’s (MVRD’s) Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management Plan (ILWRMP) includes a regulatory requirement to conduct ambient monitoring programs to assess, evaluate and forecast the effects of wastewater and stormwater discharges on the receiving environments. The Boundary Bay Ambient Monitoring Program (BBAMP) was initiated in 2009, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, municipalities of Surrey, Delta and White Rock. Currently, the City of Surrey conducts monitoring of the upland fresh water conditions in tributaries and rivers that discharge into the bay while Metro Vancouver conducts marine monitoring in the bay. The fresh water and marine monitoring …
River And Wastewater Effluent Nutrient Inputs Into The Salish Sea Model,
2018
Washington State Dept. of Ecology, United States
River And Wastewater Effluent Nutrient Inputs Into The Salish Sea Model, Teizeen Mohamedali, Anise Ahmed, Sheelagh Mccarthy
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The Salish Sea Model was developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratories in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Ecology. The model is being used to evaluate the relative effects of human nutrient inputs and climate influences on the occurrence of low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels throughout the Salish Sea, with a focus on evaluating water quality in Puget Sound. Developing an inventory of point and nonpoint source nutrient inputs entering the Salish Sea is essential to the model’s development. This presentation will present some significant updates to nutrient inputs developed for the Salish Sea Model from wastewater treatment plants …
Some Like It Hot: Using Citizen Science To Identify Marine Bird Hotspots In Puget Sound,
2018
University of Washington
Some Like It Hot: Using Citizen Science To Identify Marine Bird Hotspots In Puget Sound, Timothy Jones, Scott F. Pearson, Julia Parrish, Toby Ross, Peter Hodum, Eric John Ward, Jennifer Lang, Adam Sedgley
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Puget Sound, situated in the southern portion of the Salish Sea, supports approximately 172 marine bird species that face a multitude of threats, ranging from chronic oiling to entanglement in derelict fishing gear. As local population numbers shift due to both intrinsic and extrinsic forcing (e.g., on the breeding grounds), understanding the pattern of species' use of habitats and locations across the Sound can inform conservation planning. Using data collected by the Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) - a citizen science program that collects information on the abundance and distribution of marine birds in the nearshore environment throughout Puget Sound …
Planning, Implementation, And Monitoring Pacific Salmonid Recovery Following The Removal Of Two Hydroelectric Dams On Washington's Elwha River,
2018
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, United States
Planning, Implementation, And Monitoring Pacific Salmonid Recovery Following The Removal Of Two Hydroelectric Dams On Washington's Elwha River, Roger J. Peters, Jeff Duda, George Pess, Martin Liermann, Sam Brenkman, Pat Crain, Brian Winter, Mike Mchenry, Joseph H. Anderson, Tim Randle
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The removal of Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Elwha River is the largest existing dam removal project in the United States. Project planning, implementation, and monitoring have occurred over 30 years and has required diverse technical expertise. Because of the size and nature of the project—two high-head dams releasing massive amounts of sediment into the river, estuary, and nearshore ecosystem—the project was unprecedented and required a great deal of technical expertise to plan, execute, and monitor. The relative success of this project required effective collaboration among individuals and organizations with varying missions. Individuals with diverse technical expertise (i.e., …
River Otters Of The Green-Duwamish: Biomonitors Of Ecological Health,
2018
Woodland Park Zoo
River Otters Of The Green-Duwamish: Biomonitors Of Ecological Health, Michelle Wainstein, Fred Koontz, Bobbi Miller, Gina Maria Ylitalo, Bernadita F. Anulacion, Daryle Boyd, Sandra O’Neill, Philippe Thomas, Cornelya Klutsch
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
River otters (Lontra canadensis) are apex predators that play an important role in aquatic ecosystems. They accumulate contaminants via their diet of fish and invertebrates, potentially serving as biomonitors of watershed health. In summer and fall 2016, we collected 33 otter scats from sites along the Green-Duwamish River, ranging from river miles 0-54. River miles 0-5 represent the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW), a U.S. Superfund site slated for a 17-year remediation. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at sites in the LDW were 9.1 and 19.3 mg/kg (geometric means, lipid weight) - above the reported threshold value of 9 mg/kg associated …
Geomorphic Challenges To Restoring Puget Sound Beaches,
2018
Washington State Dept. of Ecology, United States
Geomorphic Challenges To Restoring Puget Sound Beaches, Hugh Shipman
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Beaches constitute more than 50% of Puget Sound’s 4000 km shoreline. More than a quarter are armored or buried under fill and many others have been impacted indirectly by changes to adjacent shorelines and to sediment transport regimes. Restoring these beaches typically involves removing bulkheads and groins, excavating historic fill, replacing lost sediment, and replumbing tidal inlets and stream mouths. We often emphasize process-based restoration, but for beaches, what does this mean? Geomorphic processes operating on beaches include erosion, deposition, overwash, sediment supply and transport, stream flow, and shoreline migration. These physical processes in turn impact ecosystems by shaping the …
