At South Sound Science Symposium? Send me your updates

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I’m probably not the only one here today with a laptop open, so if you have any of your own updates or observations, please feel free to email them to me. Just let me know who you are and what you’re seeing and thinking.

eoconnell (at) nwifc (dot) org

Thanks!

UPDATE: 9:03 a.m. Just a note on these updates. I’m trying as hard as possible to get direct quotes from presentors. When I do, I’ll surround them with “quotes.” But, typically when I write what a presentor says, it will be an indirect quote.

South South Science Symposium updates here

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Throughout the day, there will be regular updates from the 2009 South Sound Science Symposium being held at the Squaxin Island Tribe’s Little Creek Events Center.

Here is some background information on the event:

The purposes of the Symposium are to build from last year’s successful event, connect the region’s scientists on ecosystem issues and questions, and explore the threats and indicators unique to South Puget Sound. We will explore a variety of topics and relate them back to some central questions:

  • What do these observations mean?
  • Are there changes in the region’s food web?
  • What are the consequences?

You can find regular updates at this link.

Here is the agenda and here are abstracts of the various presentations and posters.

Everyday Olympia: Water Quality, Capitol Lake and the Deschutes Estuary

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Jeff Dickison has a new post over at Everyday Olympia on water quality in Capitol Lake:

…a recent letter from the state Department of Ecology to the Department of General Administration (which owns the property around the lake and therefore manages it) sheds a lot of light on the water quality debate.

In short, the letter spells out the water quality problems in Capitol Lake are being caused by the lake’s very existence. Because the artificial lake is by its very design shallow, warm and sluggish it becomes a haven for algae growth that leads to its many water quality problems.

You can read the entire post here.

Coho Smolt in Sherwood Creek Watershed

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Schumacher Creek Smolt Trap

Schumacher Creek Smolt Trap

From NWIFC Website:

A pair of smolt traps is helping the Squaxin Island Tribe get a better picture of natural salmon production in the Sherwood Creek watershed.

“The Sherwood watershed is one of the most complicated systems in the tribe’s treaty-reserved fishing area,” said Joe Peters, fisheries management biologist for the Squaxin Island Tribe. Tribal biologists are unsure about how many coho are rearing annually in Schumacher Creek, a tributary to Sherwood Creek, which flows into Mason Lake.  Sherwood Creek flows…

Squaxin Island Tribe operating 5 Smolt Traps in Deep South Puget Sound

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Schumacher Creek Smolt Trap

Schumacher Creek Smolt Trap

The Squaxin Island Natural Resources (SINR) is currently collecting data to estimate the number of coho salmon smolts outmigrating from Mill, Cranberry, Goldsborough, Schumacher and Sherwood Creeks.  These five creeks empty in to Deep South Puget Sound, with in the Squaxin Island Tribes usual and accustom areas.

The project objectives include using weir panel and Screw traps to enumerate and monitor downstream migration of coho salmon smolts, providing data for estimation of natural coho production and for the formation of relevant spawning escapement goals for Deep South Puget Sound region.   This will be the 10th year that SINR has conducted smolt trapping studies.

Goldsborough Creek Screw Trap

Goldsborough Creek Screw Trap

South Puget Sound coho smolt outmigration timing occurs during the spring from April through June.  Peak outmigration of coho smolt in the region varies from creek to creek. The peak ranges from late April through the middle of May. All salmonids captured in the traps are enumerated and measured; non salmonid species are identified and enumerated.  Species other than coho encountered in the trap are:  cutthroat, steelhead, chum, lamprey, sculpin, dace, peamouth, shiner and threespine stickleback.

Schumacher Creek Coho Smolt

Schumacher Creek Coho Smolt

VIDEO: SINR Fish Techs Michael West and Danny Synder Schumacher trap

For more information, contact:Joe Peters, fisheries biologist, Squaxin Island Tribe, (360) 432-3813.    jcpeters@squaxin.nsn.us

Squaxin Island Tribe comment on dioxin concentrations in Oakland Bay

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SHELTON (April 1, 2009) – Preliminary data released today by the state Department of Ecology has identified dioxin in sediment throughout Oakland Bay.

Outside of Shelton Harbor, the dioxin is distributed uniformly with an average concentration of 35 parts per trillion (ppt or pg/g). “At first glance, the distribution pattern suggests the dioxin may be a historical legacy,” said John Konovsky, the tribe’s environmental program manager.

Oakland Bay is a very productive shellfish growing area. Studies elsewhere suggest there is very little connection between dioxin concentrations found in sediment and contamination in shellfish:

  • In a 2008 Ecology report on neighboring Budd Inlet, sediment samples weretested for dioxin and concentrations ranged from 3 to 60 ppt. Concentrations in littleneck/manila clam samples averaged 0.5 ppt.
  • In Similk, Fidalgo and Padilla Bays, a 2006 study by the Swinomish Tribe identified a range of concentrations of organic compounds including dioxin in sediment, but levels in shellfish from those same sites were more uniform and much lower. The report also suggested that health risks from sediment exposure – such as digging for clams – are even lower than eating shellfish.
  • A 2007 Humboldt Bay study concluded that dioxin concentrations in shellfish tissue were independent of dioxin levels in sediment. All the tissue directly tested and most reported in the worldwide literature was below concentrations considered to be a risk to human health. Without continual industrial output, dioxin levels in sediment and shellfish decline over time.

“It’s not surprising that shellfish accumulate very little dioxin and are safe to eat,” said Konovsky. “This is because dioxin builds up in fatty tissue and shellfish have a very low fat content.”

Scientists from the state Department of Health also believe that dioxin in the sediment of Oakland Bay does not pose a public health concern for shellfish consumers. When discovered in sediments elsewhere around Puget Sound, dioxin in shellfish has never been found at levels of public health concern.

“Oakland Bay has always been a favorite spot for tribal members to dig clams,” said Andy Whitener, natural resources director for the tribe. “The tribe is committed to working with state and federal governments to do whatever is necessary to clean up the bay. We want to absolutely guarantee the health of our tribal members and the entire community.”

(END)

For more information, contact: Andy Whitener, natural resources director, (360) 432-3800. Jeff Dickison, assistant natural resources director, (360) 432-3815. John Konovsky, environmental program manager, (360) 432-3804.

Reports Cited

Science Applications International Corporation. 2008. Sediment Characterization Study, Budd Inlet, Olympia, WA: Final Data Report. Department of Ecology, Olympia.

Swinomish Tribe. 2006. Bioaccumulative Toxics in Subsistence-Harvested Shellfish—contamination results and risk assessment. La Conner, WA.

Pacific Shellfish Institute. 2007. Status Report and Synopsis of Organic Pollutants in Relation to Shellfish Safety in the Mad River Slough and Humboldt Bay, California. Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, Eureka.

Squaxin Island Tribe Installs Geoduck Show Plot Near Hartstene Island

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Photo 1. Geoduck Show Plot

On March 17th the Squaxin Island shellfish department began installation of a sub-tidal geoduck “show-plot” near the North end of Hartstene Island
(photo 1). This is useful in sub-tidal geoduck biomass surveys as it allows us to properly calibrate our surveys to local variations and account for temporal variability in show factors. These show plots are used to determine the number of geoduck that are actually present in a given area but that remain unseen or do not “show” (see photo 2).
Geoduck "show" marked by white stake

Photo 2. Individual Geoduck "shows" marked with white stakes.

Divers mark individual geoduck shows over time to determine the number of total geoducks in a defined area (photo 3). Once this number is known we can then return to count the number of showing geoducks and determine the show factor for that given day when conducting local geoduck surveys. This is just one of the many steps involved in surveying a subtidal geoduck tract.
Photo 3. Eric Sparkman Marking Individual Geoduck Shows.

Photo 3. Eric Sparkman Marking Individual Geoduck Shows.

2009 Spring Beach Cleanup

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Squaxin Island Tribe's Natural Resources boat loaded with trash found on the island

Natural Resources Department Boat Loaded With Trash From The Island

Twice a year PCSGA hosts beach cleanup events at the Arcadia launch.  Every year dumpsters are filled with various types of debris that has washed ashore.  Some of the source of this trash is from aquaculture activities and much of it  is from other sources. 

Squaxin Island employees and tribal members helped clean up the entire shoreline of Squaxin Island this year.  We had several boat loads of trash come off the island and everyone’s help was greatly appreciated.  Thanks to all for keeping Squaxin Island clean!

For more information on PCSGA beach cleanups see http://www.pcsga.org/pub/news_events/beach_cleanup.shtm

Eric Sparkman and Levi Keesecker from Natural Resources removing washed up net from Squaxin Island

Eric Sparkman and Levi Keesecker Retrieving a Net That Has Washed Ashore

 

Joe Peters and Daniel Kuntz from Natural Resources picking up trash on Squaxin Island

Daniel Kuntz and Joe Peters Cleaning Up Squaxin Island

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Sarah Haque Finding Trash On Squaxin Island

North of Falcon 25 years of Fisheries Co-Management

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Will Henderson and his Grandfather William Henderson
Photo courtesy of NWIFC

Treaty Tribes, State Mark North of Falcon 25th Anniversary

From The Northwest Fisheries Commission website: (Being Frank)

We’re marking an important milestone in cooperative salmon co-management this year. It’s the 25th anniversary of the North of Falcon process for setting treaty tribal and non-Indian fishing seasons in western Washington.

We’ve sure come a long ways in that time.

The 1974 Boldt decision made it clear: Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington had reserved rights to half of the harvestable salmon returning to state waters and were equal partners  […]