salmon bay natural area: restoration monitoring · pre and post-restoration monitoring - 2004,...
TRANSCRIPT
Salmon Bay Natural Area: Restoration Monitoring
UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Jason Toft
Funding and Support: King Conservation District and Seattle Public Utilities
• Brief introduction to SBNA • Background data • SBNA monitoring
• Invertebrates (aquatic, insects) • Fish, prey items
• Summary, future steps
Outline
How fish assessments can be used to help
“build restoration projects”.
Fish utilization:
• Prior to restoration – Inform goals
• During project design – Incorporation of data
• Monitoring restoration – What works, what doesn’t
Data strengths: Optimized when there’s a focused experimental
design, precise data.
Data weaknesses: Natural variability, issues of time and space.
Make sure you’re not comparing apples and oranges.
The Role of Science in Restoration
• Construction of the Locks
has created a urbanized
mini-estuary
• Freshwater zooplankton
are prevalent throughout
the Inner Bay
• This small osmotic-
transitional zone should be
the focus of restoration
2001 Shilshole
Study Conclusions
2003 Habitat Measurements: Shoreline armoring truncates the shallow water zone, gradual slope is lost. Pelagic fish that are typically spread-out along a large intertidal area must inhabit deep water directly along shore, and avoid swimming under piers.
Toft, J.D., J.R. Cordell, C.A. Simenstad, and L.A. Stamatiou. 2007. Fish distribution, abundance, and behavior along city shoreline types in Puget Sound. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27:465-480.
Diet Analysis: Juvenile Chinook prey less on terrestrial insects at sites with armoring.
Before – 2004 After – 2010
Pre and Post-Restoration Monitoring - 2004, 2010, 2012: 1. Benthic aquatic invertebrates 2. Terrestrial insects 3. Fish sampling 4. Beach sediments
Salmon Bay Natural Area Removal of the house and pier structures, and restoration of the beach and shoreline vegetation.
Benthic invertebrates, Low tidal elevations – Area at floating dock
*** Restoration increased numbers and taxa richness
Insects, shoreline vegetation – Area at balcony of house
*** Restoration increased numbers and taxa richness
Fish, snorkel surveys 2004 – Juvenile salmon distributed around edges
2010 – Juvenile salmon evenly distributed
Fish diets 2012 – Large freshwater signature
Summary Monitoring data shows improved values of most measurements compared to pre-restored and reference beach.
1. Nursery area for fish
2. Foraging opportunities
3. Riparian value
4. Connectivity
5. Physical resilience
Toft, J.D., A.S. Ogston, S.M. Heerhartz, J.R. Cordell, and E.E. Flemer. 2013. Ecological response and physical
stability of habitat enhancements along an urban armored shoreline. Ecological Engineering 57:97-108.
Uff-da