Washington Department of Natural Resources - Aquaitic Reserves Program – Puget Sound Corps Team Forage Fish Spawning Habitat Surveys
Presentation Abstract
Two common forage fish species, surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) and Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), spawn on sand-gravel beaches in the upper intertidal throughout Washington state’s coastal shoreline. Forage fish are small schooling fish that are a key prey species for marine mammals, fish, and birds. It is therefore crucial to identify beaches used by forage fish to assess health of stocks and ensure the survival of forage fish populations and predator species. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) protects documented surf smelt and sand lance spawning sites from impacts of shoreline development. In an effort to update and fill gaps in the dataset, a team of Puget SoundCorps (PSC) members, sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Aquatic Reserves Program, conducts monthly beach-spawning forage fish surveys on state-owned aquatic lands within the seven aquatic reserves throughout Puget Sound. The data is used by WDFW habitat managers and the DNR to guide management decisions. Trained in field and laboratory protocols by Daniel Penttila (formerly WDFW) and Phillip Dionne (WDFW), the PSC team provides instruction, sample analysis, and QA/QC to Citizen Stewardship Committees (CSCs). As of December 2013, the PSC has analyzed 1,626 sediment samples. Of these samples, 1,331 were collected by the PSC and 295 were collected by CSCs. Surf smelt spawning was documented at 201 sites in six of seven reserves; 30 of these sites were previously undocumented by WDFW. Sand lance spawning was documented at 22 sites in four of seven reserves; 19 of these sites were novel to WDFW’s dataset. Several areas, such as McNeil Island, Protection Island and Smith Island, had never been surveyed before. The dataset collected by the Aquatic Reserves PSC team is unique in its broad spatial extent and fine temporal resolution, providing an up-to-date and more expansive look at variability in spawn location and timing throughout Puget Sound.
Session Title
Session S-03D: Forage Fish Research and Protection in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
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)
Smelts--Spawning--Research--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Pacific sand lance--Spawning--Research--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Washington (State). Aquatic Resources Program
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (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
Washington Department of Natural Resources - Aquaitic Reserves Program – Puget Sound Corps Team Forage Fish Spawning Habitat Surveys
Room 6C
Two common forage fish species, surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) and Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), spawn on sand-gravel beaches in the upper intertidal throughout Washington state’s coastal shoreline. Forage fish are small schooling fish that are a key prey species for marine mammals, fish, and birds. It is therefore crucial to identify beaches used by forage fish to assess health of stocks and ensure the survival of forage fish populations and predator species. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) protects documented surf smelt and sand lance spawning sites from impacts of shoreline development. In an effort to update and fill gaps in the dataset, a team of Puget SoundCorps (PSC) members, sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Aquatic Reserves Program, conducts monthly beach-spawning forage fish surveys on state-owned aquatic lands within the seven aquatic reserves throughout Puget Sound. The data is used by WDFW habitat managers and the DNR to guide management decisions. Trained in field and laboratory protocols by Daniel Penttila (formerly WDFW) and Phillip Dionne (WDFW), the PSC team provides instruction, sample analysis, and QA/QC to Citizen Stewardship Committees (CSCs). As of December 2013, the PSC has analyzed 1,626 sediment samples. Of these samples, 1,331 were collected by the PSC and 295 were collected by CSCs. Surf smelt spawning was documented at 201 sites in six of seven reserves; 30 of these sites were previously undocumented by WDFW. Sand lance spawning was documented at 22 sites in four of seven reserves; 19 of these sites were novel to WDFW’s dataset. Several areas, such as McNeil Island, Protection Island and Smith Island, had never been surveyed before. The dataset collected by the Aquatic Reserves PSC team is unique in its broad spatial extent and fine temporal resolution, providing an up-to-date and more expansive look at variability in spawn location and timing throughout Puget Sound.
