When you have fish that can live from 80 to 200 years, depending on the species, recovery can be a slow process. That’s the case with some of the 27 different rockfish (Sebastes spp.) in the Salish Sea. Many species were over-harvested and are now in need of recovery. One important strategy is protecting the old females who produce copious young. But rockfish don't birth a big crop of babies every year. (Yes, rockfish give birth to live baby fish.) Instead they seem to have periodic "bonus" years when numerous rockfish babies are born. As a result, it is really important to know when … [Read more...]
Some of our projects are long-term and might live here for years. Others are accomplished in a matter of weeks or months. Not every project makes it onto this list!
How safe is wild-harvested seaweed to eat? Seaweeds are a nutritious source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. The harvest and consumption of various species of seaweed has historically been, and continues to be, important for the Coast Salish, and is gaining in popularity with non-tribal citizens interested in wild foraging. Unfortunately very little data are available on the levels of contaminants in local seaweeds, leaving native and non-native consumers of this food source in the dark about whether they are harvesting healthy nutritious food or are being exposed to potentially … [Read more...]
There’s convincing science that no-take marine reserves help recover rockfish, abalone, and other threatened or endangered species that call these rocky habitats home. But what are the economic costs and benefits of marine reserves? Most of the existing data is about the costs of marine reserves. For example, marine reserves limit fishing, and therefore have a negative effect on the commercial and recreational fishing industry. But very little is known about the economic benefits of no-take marine reserves. A new SeaDoc project will quantify the economic benefit of appropriately … [Read more...]
Coastal or sea-run cutthroat trout are freshwater fish that also move into the marine waters to feed and are an important recreational fishery in many parts of the Salish Sea. Many people don't think of the San Juan Islands when they think of cutthroat trout, but they were historically caught in the area. Long-standing residents recall a time when these rare fish were much more abundant. While recent work documented cutthroat trout in some streams in the San Juan archipelago, little is known about the current status of coastal cutthroat trout in this area. Thanks to funding raised from … [Read more...]
Update January 21, 2016 SeaDoc recently spent 2 days at a sea star wasting disease summit hosted by the Seattle Aquarium. Scientists from all over the US and Canada who are studying this disease came to share their research and learn from each other. We still have a lot to learn about this disease, but data presented support: (1) this is an unsual mortality event, (2) the disease hits a wide range of sea star species, and (3) it affects different species of sea stars differently. Species that seem have been hit hard both in the wild and in captivity include the mottled star … [Read more...]
September 2015 update: See photos and get info about our 2015 dives. If you don't know what's happening, you can't learn from it. While most people can see change above the water (such as a forest clear cut), there aren't many people keeping an eye on the dramatic changes occurring below the surface of the ocean. And without details on what is happening, how can we know when you need to take action to correct negative trends? In October 2013, SeaDoc kicked off a project using trained citizen scientists to help study changes in subtidal fish and invertebrate populations. This ambitious … [Read more...]
Lost fishing gear is commercial and recreational fishing gear -- nets, traps, pots, line -- that becomes lost or is discarded in the water. The gear ends up sitting on the sea floor, getting caught on rocky reefs, or floating in the water column. The majority of this lost gear does not decompose in seawater and can remain in the marine environment for years. Lost gear impacts the marine environment in several ways: it can continue to "catch" marine animals, which become entangled or trapped; it can damage the habitat upon which it becomes entangled or upon which it … [Read more...]