Presentation Abstract
As a large fjord, the Salish Sea exhibits strong spatiotemporal variation in temperature and salinity due to various marine and freshwater inputs. These patterns are particularly evident in Skagit Bay where water conditions are influenced by marine inputs from Deception Pass and Saratoga Passage and seasonal pulses of fresh water from Skagit River. We investigated how abundance and community composition in pelagic surface waters of Skagit Bay varied from 2001-2017, and how temperature and salinity patterns can influence which species predominate in particular years. Data come from long-term monitoring of Skagit Bay using a Kodiak surface trawl that sweeps the uppermost 10 feet of the water column. We evaluated how temperature and salinity influenced species abundance and distribution and tested whether distributions were likely influenced by biotic interactions (e.g. predation, competition), focusing on diadromous species (e.g., salmon, lamprey, starry flounder), forage fish (e.g., Pacific herring, surf smelt, Pacific sandlance), and gelatinous zooplankton (e.g., ctenophores, scyphozoan and hydrozoan medusae). Our results provide evidence for strong abiotic structuring and weaker effects from biotic interactions, although certain species appeared to interact more than others. These results may help us understand how long-term increases in regional and local temperatures and freshening waters will affect Salish Sea ecology.
Session Title
Response of Water-Column Processes and Pelagic Organisms to Long-term Change
Keywords
Salmon, Herring, Jellies, Pelagic
Conference Track
SSE16: Long-Term Monitoring of Salish Sea Ecosystems
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE16-609
Start Date
5-4-2018 4:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2018 4:45 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
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)
Salmon--Effect of predation on--Washington (State)--Skagit Bay; Salmon--Food--Washington (State)--Skagit Bay; Pacific herring--Effect of predation on--Washington (State)--Skagit Bay; Pacific herring--Food--Washington (State)--Skagit Bay; Jellyfishes--Effect of predation on--Washington (State)--Skagit Bay; Jellyfishes--Food--Washington (State)--Skagit Bay
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Skagit Bay (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
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Salmon and jellies and herring, oh my! Abiotic and biotic-dependent trends in abundance and distribution of pelagic critters in Skagit Bay across 17 years
As a large fjord, the Salish Sea exhibits strong spatiotemporal variation in temperature and salinity due to various marine and freshwater inputs. These patterns are particularly evident in Skagit Bay where water conditions are influenced by marine inputs from Deception Pass and Saratoga Passage and seasonal pulses of fresh water from Skagit River. We investigated how abundance and community composition in pelagic surface waters of Skagit Bay varied from 2001-2017, and how temperature and salinity patterns can influence which species predominate in particular years. Data come from long-term monitoring of Skagit Bay using a Kodiak surface trawl that sweeps the uppermost 10 feet of the water column. We evaluated how temperature and salinity influenced species abundance and distribution and tested whether distributions were likely influenced by biotic interactions (e.g. predation, competition), focusing on diadromous species (e.g., salmon, lamprey, starry flounder), forage fish (e.g., Pacific herring, surf smelt, Pacific sandlance), and gelatinous zooplankton (e.g., ctenophores, scyphozoan and hydrozoan medusae). Our results provide evidence for strong abiotic structuring and weaker effects from biotic interactions, although certain species appeared to interact more than others. These results may help us understand how long-term increases in regional and local temperatures and freshening waters will affect Salish Sea ecology.
