Ecological Changes in the Elwha River nearshore: Fish use
Presentation Abstract
Located on the north Olympic Peninsula, the Elwha River nearshore is a critical component of the Salish Sea. It is depended on by no fewer than six federally listed salmon species, and numerous forage fish. The Elwha nearshore is impaired ecologically due to extensive shoreline armoring and in-river channelization and dams. The Elwha nearshore is undergoing an unprecedented restoration event with the removal of two large in river dams, which began in September 2011. As of September 2013 approximately 2.7 million cubic meters of sediment has been delivered to the sediment starved Elwha nearshore. The Coastal Watershed Institute and partners lead a long term study of the Elwha nearshore ecological function which began in 2005 and is based on a BACI design. In this presentation we provide an overview of pre-dam fish use of the Elwha and comparative nearshore areas, and first indications of ecological function response of the juvenile fish migration and forage fish spawning to dam removal. We also provide an overview of linkages of the nearshore restoration event for the larger Elwha and Salish Sea ecosystem.
Session Title
Session S-07F: Elwah River Restoration: Evolution of Habitats and Ecosystems During a Dam Removal Project
Conference Track
Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 602-603
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)
Fish populations--Monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Restoration ecology--Washington (State)--Elwha River; Dam retirement--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Elwha Dam
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Elwha River (Wash.); Elwha Dam (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
Ecological Changes in the Elwha River nearshore: Fish use
Room 602-603
Located on the north Olympic Peninsula, the Elwha River nearshore is a critical component of the Salish Sea. It is depended on by no fewer than six federally listed salmon species, and numerous forage fish. The Elwha nearshore is impaired ecologically due to extensive shoreline armoring and in-river channelization and dams. The Elwha nearshore is undergoing an unprecedented restoration event with the removal of two large in river dams, which began in September 2011. As of September 2013 approximately 2.7 million cubic meters of sediment has been delivered to the sediment starved Elwha nearshore. The Coastal Watershed Institute and partners lead a long term study of the Elwha nearshore ecological function which began in 2005 and is based on a BACI design. In this presentation we provide an overview of pre-dam fish use of the Elwha and comparative nearshore areas, and first indications of ecological function response of the juvenile fish migration and forage fish spawning to dam removal. We also provide an overview of linkages of the nearshore restoration event for the larger Elwha and Salish Sea ecosystem.
