August 12, 2024
Eelgrass in Willapa Bay. Photo by Jackson Blalock.
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is excited to have a project selected for funding through the Climate and Fisheries Adaptation (CAFA) program, a partnership between NOAA Research Climate Program Office and the NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology.
The WSG project aims to build on the foundation laid by the Willapa-Grays Harbor Estuary Collaborative (Collaborative). Launched in April 2022 and facilitated by WSG, the Collaborative holds the long-term mission of increasing the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in the face of environmental change and other stressors. Leveraging this existing partnership and initial work completed during the first years of the Collaborative, the CAFA-funded project will work with coastal communities on the southwest Washington Coast to develop tools that inform scenario planning, management strategies, and adaptation pathways in response to the challenges facing the region.
“Many of these partners have been meeting since 2019 – as part of the Washington Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Study that preceded the Collaborative – and they have really put in the time to build relationships and develop shared understandings about the state of the ecosystem and the stakes for local communities,” says Nicole Naar, WSG social science and education specialist and a co-principal investigator on the project. “Folks are ready to leverage this progress by creating tools that will advance the Collaborative’s mission.”
In the coming months, WSG will host focus groups with Collaborative member organizations and other community groups to create conceptual maps linking important ecological, social and economic components in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. WSG staff will also collect oral histories from long-time residents and resource users to document change over time in key components and their interactions. In other words, they will begin to map and understand how the estuaries and the communities that surround them interact and intertwine with one another.
On the southwest Washington Coast, shellfish aquaculture is central to the socio-ecological system of these “Twin Harbors.” At the same time, challenges stemming from climate change, such as warming seas, ocean acidification and increases in biotoxins, are affecting both the ecological and the social fabric of the shellfish industry. As both the industry and resource managers try to adapt to shifting conditions, there is a need for a shared vision and approach for developing and evaluating management and adaptation strategies.
With a modeling framework based on shared understandings in place, the impacts of different changes to the system can be evaluated, and more informed responses planned. For example, the model could show the many ways a harmful algal bloom event may impact shellfish workers in Willapa Bay, and could indicate which responses to the event may be more effective than others.
“Bringing together multiple perspectives using various types of knowledge is a particular strength of this project,” notes Melissa Poe, WSG assistant director for outreach and principal investigator for the project. “Planning for potential climate impacts in the region requires a holistic understanding of ecosystem interactions and values, including the many ways that people are part of the system. This team uses an impressive breadth of social and ecological input to inform local and regional decisions.”
To facilitate long-term collaboration and community access to this information, the resulting models and oral histories will be shared on a web-based platform focused on data sharing, community science, and education. This suite of tools will integrate climate change awareness and adaptation into a holistic response to issues affecting Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor and support long-term ecosystem-based management in the region.
The CAFA program aims to support research that promotes the adaptation and resilience of U.S. fisheries and fishing communities in a changing climate. This funding opportunity was available to institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments.
NOAA Research Climate Program Office and NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology awarded $6 million total for eight projects including the WSG project through the CAFA program. Learn more about the other projects here.
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Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, helps people and marine life thrive through research, technical expertise and education supporting the responsible use and conservation of coastal ecosystems. The National Sea Grant College Program is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
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AUG
2024