The Ocean Students' Society Forage Fish Program: The Value of Citizen Scientists to Shoreline Monitoring Efforts
Presentation Abstract
The UVic Ocean Students’ Society Forage Fish Program is a volunteer-based experience opportunity that involves the surveys of upper intertidal sediment for spawn of the Surf smelt Hypomesus pretiosus and Pacific sand lance Ammodytes hexapterus. Volunteers consist of students, scientists, and citizens keen on the preservation of intertidal habitats, forage fish populations, and the survival of their predators. The program is a subset of Sea Watch Society, which consists of citizen scientist groups surveying shorelines throughout the Salish Sea. Since the program was launched in January 2013, the OSS has become one of the most productive surveying teams on Vancouver Island. The club continues to expand with the help of community efforts and will continue to provide ocean education and credible experiences in return. The program gives students hands on training in field and lab sampling techniques involving real data and research, which a typical degree program does not offer. Students also get a head start on becoming experts in forage fish ecology by giving them a more in-depth look into species characteristics as well as impacts of human development on the geographical and environmental characteristics of spawning shorelines; all hot topics in a changing Salish Sea.
As of December 2015 the OSS has surveyed 26 beaches, taken over 150 sediment samples, and offered countless experiences and opportunities to students.
Session Title
General shoreline topics
Conference Track
Shorelines
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Poster
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)
Surveying--Study and teaching--British Columbia--Vancouver; Forage fishes--Ecology--British Columbia--Vancouver; Intertidal ecology--Study and teaching--British Columbia--Vancouver
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
The Ocean Students' Society Forage Fish Program: The Value of Citizen Scientists to Shoreline Monitoring Efforts
2016SSEC
The UVic Ocean Students’ Society Forage Fish Program is a volunteer-based experience opportunity that involves the surveys of upper intertidal sediment for spawn of the Surf smelt Hypomesus pretiosus and Pacific sand lance Ammodytes hexapterus. Volunteers consist of students, scientists, and citizens keen on the preservation of intertidal habitats, forage fish populations, and the survival of their predators. The program is a subset of Sea Watch Society, which consists of citizen scientist groups surveying shorelines throughout the Salish Sea. Since the program was launched in January 2013, the OSS has become one of the most productive surveying teams on Vancouver Island. The club continues to expand with the help of community efforts and will continue to provide ocean education and credible experiences in return. The program gives students hands on training in field and lab sampling techniques involving real data and research, which a typical degree program does not offer. Students also get a head start on becoming experts in forage fish ecology by giving them a more in-depth look into species characteristics as well as impacts of human development on the geographical and environmental characteristics of spawning shorelines; all hot topics in a changing Salish Sea.
As of December 2015 the OSS has surveyed 26 beaches, taken over 150 sediment samples, and offered countless experiences and opportunities to students.
Comments
All presenters are UVic Undergraduates of the Ocean Students' Society