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Resilience of Soft-Sediment Communities after Geoduck Harvest in Samish Bay, Washington

Jennifer Ruesink and Micah Horwith, Department of Biology, University of Washington

R/GD-3

Commercial geoduck beds share the same waters with a number of distinct habitats, including soft-sediment tideflats and eelgrass meadows, both of which host diverse communities of plants and animals. In northern Washington's Samish Bay, eelgrass has colonized a commercial geoduck bed since geoduck seed were planted in 2002, providing a unique opportunity to test the effects of geoduck aquaculture on these habitat types. The project team will explore changes in the surrounding eelgrass meadow and in soft-sediment invertebrate communities as we follow the geoduck aquaculture cycle through harvest and reseeding of a new crop. By sampling before and after these events, inside and outside the geoduck bed, the team will be able to determine rates of recovery for the eelgrass meadow and soft-sediment invertebrate communities, to shed light on interactions between commercial geoduck aquaculture practices and local marine habitats.

To ensure consistency in sampling methodologies and direct comparison of data between sites, the team will be working in close collaboration with the researchers conducting the project "Geochemical and Ecological Consequences of Disturbances Associated with Geoduck Aquaculture Operations in Washington."

Work to Date

Research on this project began on April 7th, 2008. The team visited Fisk Bar for three days to perform a pre-harvest survey of sediment biology, sediment chemistry and eelgrass cover. These measurements will be taken pre- and post-harvest, currently scheduled in mid-May.

Updated May 22 2008