Page 7 - 2018annualreport

CITIZEN SCIENCE PROGRAMS

“The natural world is inherently They do not directly compete for space, however S. muticum can reduce the
holistic and demands of students (i.e. amount of light to the eelgrass beds and cause decline.
people) that they participate if they
wish to share in the deep knowledge, • Manilla clam (Venerupus philippinatum): This bivalve is present at all of
which the natural world represents.” our soft sediment sites (Thormanby Island, Baker Beach and Malcolm Bay).
While it is not indigenous, it appears to have naturalized (balanced) in the
- Braden Blackmon, teacher, School environment. DFO opens fisheries for these shellfish.
District 46
• Soft shell clam (Mya arenaria): This is an introduced species found along the
coast of BC. It is probable that it is found here in our study sites, however
many of the clams found in our surveys are too small for identification. This
species appears to be naturalized.

• Pacific oyster (Magallena gigas): This species has also been identified on all
of our rocky intertidal surveys. Again, it appears to be naturalized.

SALISH SEA CITIZEN SCIENCE MARINE SURVIVAL PROJECT
2018 marked the fourth year in which the Lagoon Society has been involved in
the Salish Sea Marine Survival Program. We have partnered with the Pacific
Salmon Foundation to gather oceanographic data in the Malaspina Strait, in an
effort to understand fluctuation in returns of various salmonid species within
the shared waters of British Columbia and Washington. We are currently one of
8 community-led teams working synchronously in locations across the Strait of
Georgia. Teams use the identical sampling protocols at the same times of year in
different locations, resulting in valuable spatial and temporal data that will help
model the physical, chemical, and biological changes in the Strait of Georgia.

Citizen science volunteers working with the Lagoon Society focus on
measurements of lower food chain organisms such as phytoplankton and
zooplankton, as well as abiotic factors known to affect those organisms such
as nutrient availability, in order to understand bottom-up effects on salmonid
population health. Each year, our volunteers leave Secret Cove aboard the
M/V Marina III with retired prawn fisherman, Andre Alaire, to sample at 5
different stations – this year we went out a total of 22 times between February
and October. This initiative has been an amazing opportunity for local residents
to become part of a network of community citizen scientists, collecting data that
has already been utilized and cited by researchers at major universities and
by DFO.

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