Species population declines
Abalone Declines
Abalone are a part of the Pacific North West’s natural heritage. Today however, many people associate abalone and the abalone fishery with California, rather than the Puget Sound Georgia Basin which is home to the Northern abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana), also called the Pinto abalone.
Recovery of Rockfish Populations
The Pacific Northwest has 26 species of rockfish that are truly “magnificent,” the translation of their Greek name Sebastes. Unlike many other fish, they give birth to live young, some species can live to be over 100 years old, most have venom glands at the base of their fin spines, and—they just look cool!
Seabird Workshop
In addition to killer whales, rockfish, and other well-known marine mammals and fish of the Puget Sound region, dozens of bird species depend on our saltwater ecosystem. Some of these birds, like the Western Grebe, winter here and fly farther north to nest in the summer. Others, like the Rhinoceros Auklet, summer here and then move to the open ocean for the winter. And then there are species like the Black Oystercatcher that call this area home year-round.
Species of Concern
How do we judge the health of our marine environment?
Fish and wildlife populations are the ultimate indicators for the health of the entire Puget Sound Georgia Basin marine ecosystem. The recent biennial SeaDoc Society Species of Concern report shows that the number of species listed as threatened or endangered is increasing and unless efforts are stepped up, the “silent slow motion crisis” will continue to out pace the ability to stabilize and restore populations.
When One Endangered Species Eats Another
What do you do when one endangered species eats another?
Sea otters, once extirpated in Washington, are now recovering thanks to several transplantations from Alaska. They eat up to 25% of their body weight a day in abalone, clams, crabs, sea urchins, and other invertebrates. This is a concern, because the northern (pinto) abalone also has declined precipitously in Washington and efforts are underway to bring back this culturally and ecologically important mollusk. Complicating the issue, young abalone might hide under sea urchins for protection and Washington has a sizeable state and tribal commercial urchin harvest.
MPA-related Research
The SeaDoc Society is ensuring the health of marine wildlife populations and their ecosystems by funding critical research, providing scientific support and bringing stakeholders together. Thanks to the support of numerous private investors, the SeaDoc Society recently solicited and funded four new research projects to be conducted in 2004. Like the projects we have funded before, these studies are designed to provide useful information that will enable us to better manage our living marine resources. Last year, the SeaDoc Society reported that over 60 marine species in our region have declined enough to warrant their listing or proposed listing as threatened or endangered. The new research we are supporting this year is examining marine protected areas (MPAs) as a tool to help recover declining populations of wildlife like rockfish, herring, and scoters.
Herring Declines at Cherry Point: Finding the Real Cause
One way the Marine Ecosystem Health Program (MEHP [now the SeaDoc Society]) works to ensure the health of marine wildlife populations and their Pacific Northwest inland waters ecosystem is to fund scientific research. Research projects are carefully selected to ensure that each one provides information needed to better manage marine resources throughout the inland waters region. For this edition of the quarterly MEHP Research Update, we would like to highlight some early results from one of the projects the MEHP funded in 2002. This research project, entitled “What are the causes of developmental abnormalities in Cherry Point herring?” investigated some important aspects of herring declines in Puget Sound.