Event Title
Scaling shoreline restoration to improve nearshore marine habitat for salmon and forage fishes
Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Shoreline restoration is a widespread activity with a multitude of ambitions. Goals often include protection of people and property from storms and sea level rise, improvement of habitat for fisheries and protected species, and mitigation of the effects of climate change through investments in blue carbon. However, few studies have directly assessed the impacts of restoration actions on specific ecological or economic endpoints, nor characterized the significance of the surrounding landscape to restoration outcomes. We conducted monthly surveys from April through September in 2018-2021 at six restoration sites in Puget Sound to evaluate associations between shoreline restoration and offshore subtidal fish distribution. We measured the abundance of juvenile salmonids (Chinook and chum), and forage fishes (Pacific herring and surf smelt), at restoration sites as compared to nearby armored and reference shorelines. At a local spatial scale, we found limited support for associations between shoreline restoration and these subtidal fishes in the 3-10 years since armor removal. However, the presence of eelgrass was heavily influential. We also investigated these relationships with a focus on landscape, rather than local, environmental features such as water quality, shoreline structure, and watershed features. Our results suggest that juvenile forage fish and salmonids are likely responding to broader landscape patterns as well as species-specific habitat needs, information which can be used for prioritizing investments in restoration.
Session Title
Nearshore Restoration and Shoreline Management
Conference Track
SSE9: Nearshore
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-313
Start Date
27-4-2022 9:45 AM
End Date
27-4-2022 11:15 AM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Scaling shoreline restoration to improve nearshore marine habitat for salmon and forage fishes
Shoreline restoration is a widespread activity with a multitude of ambitions. Goals often include protection of people and property from storms and sea level rise, improvement of habitat for fisheries and protected species, and mitigation of the effects of climate change through investments in blue carbon. However, few studies have directly assessed the impacts of restoration actions on specific ecological or economic endpoints, nor characterized the significance of the surrounding landscape to restoration outcomes. We conducted monthly surveys from April through September in 2018-2021 at six restoration sites in Puget Sound to evaluate associations between shoreline restoration and offshore subtidal fish distribution. We measured the abundance of juvenile salmonids (Chinook and chum), and forage fishes (Pacific herring and surf smelt), at restoration sites as compared to nearby armored and reference shorelines. At a local spatial scale, we found limited support for associations between shoreline restoration and these subtidal fishes in the 3-10 years since armor removal. However, the presence of eelgrass was heavily influential. We also investigated these relationships with a focus on landscape, rather than local, environmental features such as water quality, shoreline structure, and watershed features. Our results suggest that juvenile forage fish and salmonids are likely responding to broader landscape patterns as well as species-specific habitat needs, information which can be used for prioritizing investments in restoration.
