Ecosystem Health

Coastal ecosystem resilience: how eelgrass donor population structure influences restoration success

Coastal ecosystem resilience: how eelgrass donor population structure influences restoration success

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Kerry Naish (University of Washington)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Jennifer Ruesink (University of Washington), Jeffrey Gaeckle (Washington State Department of Natural Resouces), Cinde Donoghue (WA Department of Natural Resources)

 

Only half of seagrass restoration projects on the U.S. West Coast have resulted in persistent populations. While reasons for reduced success may vary, the choice of donor site is regarded as significant because specific eelgrass populations may be adapted to local environmental conditions. In ...

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22
JUL
0

Floodplains and food webs: evaluating the benefits of tidal delta restoration for Chinook salmon and their prey

Floodplains and food webs: evaluating the benefits of tidal delta restoration for Chinook salmon and their prey

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Anne Beaudreau (University of Washington)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Emily Howe (The Nature Conservancy), Michael LeMoine (Skagit River System Cooperative), Jason Toft (University of Washington)

 

Chinook salmon are cultural and ecological keystone species, supporting customary and traditional use by Indigenous peoples, providing sustenance and livelihoods to diverse communities, and shaping food webs and ecosystems. Puget Sound Chinook salmon are listed as threatened under the ESA and their ...

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18
JUL
0

Characterizing rocky intertidal communities to assess resilience and inform management and conservation

Characterizing rocky intertidal communities to assess resilience and inform management and conservation

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: James Dimond (Western Washington University)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Peter Raimondi (University of California Santa Cruz), Jennifer Burnaford (California State University Fullerton), Steven Fradkin (Olympic National Park)

 

Predictions for Sea Level Rise (SLR) in Washington vary by region but are estimated to be between 0.3 and 2.5 meters above current levels by 2100 (Miller et al, 2018). These projections pose immense social, economic, and ecological challenges with respect to the management and ...

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18
JUL
0

A collaborative partnership to address mass mortalities in oyster aquaculture through improved field monitoring, husbandry practices, and workforce development

A collaborative partnership to address mass mortalities in oyster aquaculture through improved field monitoring, husbandry practices, and workforce development

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Emily Carrington (University of Washington)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Matthew George (University of Washington), Sara Smith (Bellingham Technical College), Neil Thomson (United States Department of Agriculture), Nathan Tsao (Jamestown Point Whitney Ventures LLC.), Mackenzie Gavery (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration), Laura Kraft (Washington State University), Steven Roberts (University of Washington)

 

The anticipated arrival of the viral pathogen Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) within the coastal and ...

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18
JUL
0

Cultivating a sustainable future for basket cockles and tribal communities: restoring access to a preferred traditional First Food

Cultivating a sustainable future for basket cockles and tribal communities: restoring access to a preferred traditional First Food

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Elizabeth Unsell (Suquamish Tribe)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Ryan Crim (Puget Sound Restoration Fund), James Dimond (Puget Sound Restoration Fund)

 

Basket cockles are a favored traditional food for Suquamish Tribal members. In recent decades, populations on local subsistence beaches have been lower than historically observed, making it challenging for Tribal members to harvest cockles for their families. Recruitment and/or survival is unreliable, and there is therefore ...

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18
JUL
0

Integrating community science data with long-term aerial surveys to understand seasonal and long-term shifts in marine bird use of Puget Sound

Integrating community science data with long-term aerial surveys to understand seasonal and long-term shifts in marine bird use of Puget Sound

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Sarah Converse (United States Geological Survey/University of Washington)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Cynthia Easterson (Puget Sound Bird Observatory), Matthew Farr (University of Washington), Toby Ross (Puget Sound Bird Observatory), Kyle Spragens (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

 

The recovery status of Puget Sound is tied to its ecosystem health, which is quantified by the Puget Sound Partnership’s Vital Signs and associated indicators. One ...

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24
JUN
0

Two-eyed seeing in practice: Participatory modeling to evaluate pinniped hunting in Puget Sound as a tool for salmon recovery

Two-eyed seeing in practice: Participatory modeling to evaluate pinniped hunting in Puget Sound as a tool for salmon recovery

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jonathan Scordino (Makah Tribe)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Robert Jones (Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission), Timothy Essington (University of Washington), Elizabeth Allyn (Makah Tribe)

 

Pinniped predation is on the rise and may be a factor in declining salmon survival. Reducing predation risk in key habitat areas and migration corridors is critical to recovery of protected salmon species in Puget Sound. But more research is needed to ...

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22
NOV
0

Unblocking bottlenecks in recovery of endangered pinto abalone populations

Unblocking bottlenecks in recovery of endangered pinto abalone populations

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño (University of Washington)

CO-INVESTIGATORS: Jodie Toft (Puget Sound Restoration Fund)

 

Native pinto abalone has declined by 97 percent in Washington. Restoring abalone has ecological, economic and cultural benefits. However, restoration efforts in Washington have been challenged by low levels of larval settlement and high levels of juvenile mortality in hatcheries. Understanding the factors that may contribute to abalone die-off events would benefit ongoing restoration efforts by partners Puget Sound Restoration ...

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22
NOV
0

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