Presentation Abstract

Defence Construction Canada, on behalf of the Department of National Defence (DND), undertook dredging in Constance Cove, Esquimalt Harbour, as part of DND's multi-year, harbour-wide sediment remediation program. One of the mitigation measures recently implemented with the Constance Cove remedial dredging is the salvage of understory kelp within the project's dredge footprint prior to the dredging; the relocation of salvaged material to a temporary storage area, and restocking once construction is complete. These kelp salvage measures are intended to address impacts of temporal fish habitat loss due to dredging activities in an area with an existing kelp bed, and to reduce the succession time required for a disturbed area to return to a functioning kelp habitat. Understory kelp provides important functions supporting the productivity of local Esquimalt Harbour Commercial, Recreational and Aboriginal (CRA) fish such as Pacific herring, rockfish, Pacific salmon, greenling, sea perch, among others. The understory macro algae Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) was the primary target species for salvage in areas within the dredge footprint that had greater than 25% cover attached to salvageable rock substrate. During storage of salvaged kelp and substrate, kelp enhancement lines, employing locally developed kelp cultivation techniques, were installed to provide an additional source of spores to inoculate the salvaged substrate, as well as provide additional temporary fish habitat during construction activities. Methods and preliminary results will be discussed.

Session Title

Kelp Distribution and Recovery Strategies in the Salish Sea: Part II

Keywords

Understory kelp, Mitigation, Fish habitat, Sacchanna latissima

Conference Track

SSE1: Habitat Restoration and Protection

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE1-529

Start Date

6-4-2018 11:45 AM

End Date

6-4-2018 12:00 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)

Dredging--Environmental aspects--British Columbia--Esquimalt; Kelps--Transplanting--British Columbia--Fraser River Estuary; Fishes--Habitat--Effect of dredging on--British Columbia--Fraser River Estuary; Understory plants--British Columbia--Fraser River Estuary

Geographic Coverage

Fraser River Estuary (B.C.)

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

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Apr 6th, 11:45 AM Apr 6th, 12:00 PM

Techniques for understory kelp salvage and recolonization of disturbed sites to mitigate temporal habitat loss

Defence Construction Canada, on behalf of the Department of National Defence (DND), undertook dredging in Constance Cove, Esquimalt Harbour, as part of DND's multi-year, harbour-wide sediment remediation program. One of the mitigation measures recently implemented with the Constance Cove remedial dredging is the salvage of understory kelp within the project's dredge footprint prior to the dredging; the relocation of salvaged material to a temporary storage area, and restocking once construction is complete. These kelp salvage measures are intended to address impacts of temporal fish habitat loss due to dredging activities in an area with an existing kelp bed, and to reduce the succession time required for a disturbed area to return to a functioning kelp habitat. Understory kelp provides important functions supporting the productivity of local Esquimalt Harbour Commercial, Recreational and Aboriginal (CRA) fish such as Pacific herring, rockfish, Pacific salmon, greenling, sea perch, among others. The understory macro algae Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) was the primary target species for salvage in areas within the dredge footprint that had greater than 25% cover attached to salvageable rock substrate. During storage of salvaged kelp and substrate, kelp enhancement lines, employing locally developed kelp cultivation techniques, were installed to provide an additional source of spores to inoculate the salvaged substrate, as well as provide additional temporary fish habitat during construction activities. Methods and preliminary results will be discussed.