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OBJECTIVES OF THE SSMSP
The primary objective of the Salish Sea Marine Survival
Project was to determine the principal factors affecting the
survival of juvenile salmon and steelhead
1
in the Salish Sea.
In Canada these studies were intended to:
Re-build production of wild Pacific Salmon
and steelhead through a program that is
ecosystem-based, considers hatchery
effectiveness, and engages communities;
Promote sustainable fisheries and increase
their value to BC communities; and
Provide a foundation for long-term monitoring
of Salish Sea and salmon health.
Ultimately, the research results and subsequent
management actions may also benefit other marine life in
the Salish Sea, such as the southern resident killer whales
2
.
SCOPE AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
The geographic range of this project includes the
entire Salish Sea, the body of water that extends from
the north end of the Strait of Georgia and Desolation
Sound to the south end of the Puget Sound and west
to the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca (i.e., the
inland marine waters of southern British Columbia,
Canada and northern Washington State).
The interaction between salmonids with environ-
ments in the Salish Sea is complex. This study was
approached from an ecosystem context requiring
experts from multiple disciplines. Chinook, Coho and
steelhead are the species of greatest concern given
significant declines in their smolt-to-adult
3
survival
(the primary measure of marine survival) since the
mid-1990s. However, chum, pink and sockeye were
included to the extent practicable given the recent
extraordinary variation in survival of these species,
and the associated effects on local fisheries and
communities.
The SSMSP was designed as a 5-year, $20 million ecosystem-based, interdisciplinary study
involving government, universities, private consultants, local communities and not-for-profit
groups. The Project was coordinated by the non-profits, Seattle-based Long Live the Kings (LLTK)
and Vancouver-based Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF). The project was carried out for 5 years
2014-2018, and analysis, reporting, publication and synthesis continue over 2019 and 2020.
Photo
by
Eiko
Jones
