Salish Sea Marine Survival Project

3 PREFACE We admit some significant pride in our accomplishments and deep appreciation to our friends and funders who enabled the Pacific Salmon Foundation to undertake the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project (SSMSP). Now a decade since its inception, and after hundreds of inter-related projects (www.marinesurvivalproject.com), we have written project summaries geared to the general population that shares the sea amongst us (about 75% of BC residents live around the Canadian portion of the Salish Sea). Originally a Canadian initiative to address changes in the abundance of Pacific salmon production in the Strait of Georgia, our efforts were greatly strengthened with the inclusion of U.S. partners through the Long Live the Kings organization (Seattle, WA). We asked participants to commit to a short, very intensive and comprehensive period of research as opposed to past practice of single studies on one species over larger times/spaces; and they all enthusiastically responded. We gratefully acknowledge their total commitment to this project. While we have learned lots, we never know everything — which is why we also acknowledge the invaluable network of researchers, community leaders, foundations, environmental organizations, First Nations, companies, and educators that has evolved during this project. When we initiated our research in 2014, 20 years had passed since the decline of Chinook and Coho salmon production and communities surrounding the Canadian Salish Sea were severely impacted. We hope this network of common interest can be sustained to prevent such a time lag again. We fully believe that the expansion of community-based science will contribute to maintaining this network and an awareness of change in the Salish Sea — as change will certainly continue. Citizen Scientists from your local communities were instrumental in collecting oceanographic information, mapping forage fish beaches, collecting juvenile Chinook and Coho salmon, and restoring near-shore habitats and estuaries. And the Sitka Foundation and the University of British Columbia have provided a secure archive for historical and new information about the Salish Sea (www.sogdatacentre.ca) that is open access for all users. While dozens of scientific publications will be written about this research, we acknowledge that our supporters don't typically read scientific journals during their relaxation time. So, we have prepared short summaries of studies and methods written specifically for folks who share our deep interests and concerns about Pacific salmon and the Salish Sea. We have included a summary of results which will evolve as we complete analyses and publications over the coming years. Further, the Pacific Salmon Foundation will continue to support research and community projects to improve our understanding of this marine ecosystem surrounded by human pressures as we all look to maintain and restore our Pacific Salmon for generations to come. No introduction to the SSMSP would be adequate without an acknowledgement of the support from our Board of Directors, donors, other Foundations, participating agencies, and governments. While PSF and our science team could design what should be done, we certainly wouldn't have had funds to sustain the initiative without their invaluable support. In October 2013, the Pacific Salmon Commission, Southern Endowment Fund committed $5 million dollars over 5 years for this project. PSF built on this generous contribution, ultimately raising over $12M to allow for successful implementation of this 5-year integrated ecosystem-based program. This was achieved as a result of the wonderful support of many donors and partners, including early, enthusiastic and continuous support from the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society. A fuller recognition of all our donors is provided in the Introduction. This has been the largest international research project ever undertaken in the Salish Sea targeted at concerns about production of Pacific Salmon. We hope you enjoy the summaries and look forward to our future collaborations. Brian E Riddell, PhD. Mike Meneer Past CEO/President, PSF CEO/President, PSF Science Lead, SSMSP p s f . c a For an in-depth and enjoyable read about the Salish Sea, see: The Sea Among Us, (2014) R. Beamish and G. McFarlane, Harbour Publ. Co. Ltd. Madeira Park, BC 384 p. Published with the support of the Pacific Salmon Foundation

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