Larval Rockfish in the Snohomish River Estuary
Presentation Abstract
Students at the Ocean Research College Academy, a dual enrollment program in Washington State, conduct research in the local estuary as part of longitudinal study that spans ten years. In addition to measuring water chemistry metrics (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and nutrient levels), students collect plankton at four locations with varying distance to the mouth of the Snohomish River to assess abundance and diversity of the plankton assemblage. A vertical tow is collected from 10-50 meters (depending on depth) with a 335 micron mesh and a horizontal tow is collected for three minutes at the halocline with 20 micron mesh. Samples are then enumerated and classified, tracking spatial and temporal variation. A change in the protocol shifted from preservation (which were archived) to live observation of the net tows in 2014. Representative photographs are also taken. With the status of rockfish in the region, local NOAA researchers provided supplemental funding to assess presence or absence of juvenile rockfish in the archived samples, and upcoming collections (twice monthly) for the next three years. Over 50 archived samples have been assessed, with only three larval fish species present (none of which were rockfish). Upcoming work in the spring will target horizontal tows over eel grass beds and near kelp areas. Continued evaluation of the sampling and analysis protocol will be ongoing.
Session Title
General species and food webs
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
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); posters
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Snohomish River Estuary (Wash.)--Research; Sebastes--Monitoring--Washington (State)--Snohomish River Estuary
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Snohomish River Estuary (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
Larval Rockfish in the Snohomish River Estuary
2016SSEC
Students at the Ocean Research College Academy, a dual enrollment program in Washington State, conduct research in the local estuary as part of longitudinal study that spans ten years. In addition to measuring water chemistry metrics (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and nutrient levels), students collect plankton at four locations with varying distance to the mouth of the Snohomish River to assess abundance and diversity of the plankton assemblage. A vertical tow is collected from 10-50 meters (depending on depth) with a 335 micron mesh and a horizontal tow is collected for three minutes at the halocline with 20 micron mesh. Samples are then enumerated and classified, tracking spatial and temporal variation. A change in the protocol shifted from preservation (which were archived) to live observation of the net tows in 2014. Representative photographs are also taken. With the status of rockfish in the region, local NOAA researchers provided supplemental funding to assess presence or absence of juvenile rockfish in the archived samples, and upcoming collections (twice monthly) for the next three years. Over 50 archived samples have been assessed, with only three larval fish species present (none of which were rockfish). Upcoming work in the spring will target horizontal tows over eel grass beds and near kelp areas. Continued evaluation of the sampling and analysis protocol will be ongoing.
