Oceanography of Cowichan Bay: A background view for early marine survival of Chinook and Coho salmon
Presentation Abstract
Early Marine Survival (EMS) of Chinook and Coho salmon in the Salish Sea has plummeted over the past decades, and both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms for decline have been proposed. As a background for an ecosystem-based assessment of EMS, a pilot study on the basic oceanography of a small sub-component of the system was launched in spring and early summer, 2013. A repeat sampling grid covering Cowichan Bay and immediately connected waters was established, and then sampled on weekly intervals for temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, nutrients and zooplankton. Oceanographic studies were carried out concurrently with fisheries assessments. A longer section was carried out at monthly intervals, with the purpose of connecting Cowichan Bay to the Strait of Georgia. This talk will present findings from this study, identify key shortcoming and suggest an approach to expand the pilot study to the scale of the Salish Sea.
Session Title
Session S-06D: Marine Survival of Salmon and Steelhead: the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 1:30 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 3:00 PM
Location
Room 611-612
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Chinook salmon--Mortality--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Coho salmon--Mortality--Salish Sea (B.C.and Wash.); Oceanography--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Oceanography of Cowichan Bay: A background view for early marine survival of Chinook and Coho salmon
Room 611-612
Early Marine Survival (EMS) of Chinook and Coho salmon in the Salish Sea has plummeted over the past decades, and both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms for decline have been proposed. As a background for an ecosystem-based assessment of EMS, a pilot study on the basic oceanography of a small sub-component of the system was launched in spring and early summer, 2013. A repeat sampling grid covering Cowichan Bay and immediately connected waters was established, and then sampled on weekly intervals for temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, nutrients and zooplankton. Oceanographic studies were carried out concurrently with fisheries assessments. A longer section was carried out at monthly intervals, with the purpose of connecting Cowichan Bay to the Strait of Georgia. This talk will present findings from this study, identify key shortcoming and suggest an approach to expand the pilot study to the scale of the Salish Sea.
