Salish Sea Marine Survival Project

85 1. Strait of Georgia Data Centre sogdatacentre.ca (in collaboration with UBC and the Sitka Foundation) The Strait of Georgia Data Centre provides a vital repository and archive of current knowledge based on many past studies and will ultimately house all the results from the SSMSP. Having a central hub to store data from numerous government, academic and not-for-profit organizations is an important benefit and provides a central deposit for environmental and ecological data for the Salish Sea. 2. Nearshore and Estuary Habitat Restoration SSMSP has highlighted the importance of estuaries and nearshore habitats for the early marine life of juvenile salmon, identified the widespread loss of eelgrass beds associated with coastal development since the 1930s, supported research and restoration of vital kelp and eelgrass habitats and has partnered with the Stewardship Centre for BC for their Green Shores program. Green Shores is a program to reduce hardening of marine shorelines and restore beach function to promote forage fish reproduc- tion while reducing shoreline erosion. Support for three programs will continue: Dr. Maycira Costa (UVic) and colleagues will use satellite remote sensing to determine past and current kelp distributions, and assess how distributions varied over time in response to environmental and anthropogenic factors. Identification of resilient beds of kelp is the groundwork needed to identify areas of protection for future responses to climate change; Dr. Sherryl Bisgrove (SFU) and colleagues will carry out studies of thermal tolerance of kelp within the Salish Sea, and cultivation of varieties of kelp that may be important for restoration under climate change. The SFU team will create a biodiversity bank for marine plants allowing for the preservation of varieties which may mitigate the effects of climate change within the Salish Sea; and PSF will undertake a much-needed review of U.S. and worldwide programs in estuary restoration amidst climate change. There has been extensive estuary restoration, shoreline modification and contaminant research in the Salish Sea that we can draw upon. 3. Chinook and Coho "Bottlenecks" to Production (BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund) The application of PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tags and installation of in-river antennae greatly enhanced our ability to study in-river and marine survival of hatchery and wild Chinook Salmon. Working with the BC Conserva- tion Foundation, PSF will expand on this study and imple- ment PIT arrays in a number of additional river systems to provide information on survival bottlenecks (limitations) for Coho, Chinook and steelhead in both freshwater and early marine environments. 4. PSF Citizen Science Programs Within the SSMSP, the Citizen Science Oceanography Program enabled the collection of an unprecedented amount of annual oceanographic data at spatial and temporal scales not previously attainable and at a fraction of the cost of traditional research vessels. The program has also provided the framework for ongoing monitoring of the Strait's ever-changing environmental conditions and its impacts on salmon, particularly when supplemented with innovative applications of remote sensing and ocean moorings through collaborations with BC Ferries, Ocean Networks Canada and others. Other PSF supported citizen science programs will include: Adult Pacific Salmon Diet Project: The SSMSP has brought into focus the lack of data in the winter, a period that may be critically important for juvenile Chinook and Coho survival. This citizen science program, led by University of Victoria researchers, will gather long-term data on diets, (e.g., forage fish availability over space and time), and subsequent relationships with salmon survival. Forage Fish Monitoring: Supporting the work by the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute and the World Wildlife Fund, this project will enhance mapping of beach and nearshore spawning areas for forage fish such as Pacific Sand Lance and Surf Smelt. These species are two examples of forage fish that are critical sources of prey for roughly 45 species in the Strait of Georgia, including wild salmon. NEXT STEPS FOLLOWING FROM THE SALISH SEA MARINE SURVIVAL PROJECT? While researchers continue to collect tag returns and complete laboratory analyses for the SSMSP, the Pacific Salmon Foundation has determined a small set of projects that merit continued support to protect the Salish Sea and local salmon populations.

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