Page 5 - 2019 Annual Report
P. 5
CITIZEN SCIENCE PROGRAMS
“The citizen science and Meta data results are shared with the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) Strait of
environmental monitoring projects Georgia Data Center, the BC Shore Spawners Alliance, WWF and the Friends of
led by the Lagoon Society are Forage Fish.
essential to understanding and
monitoring vital habitats and Salmonid Escapement Monitoring
ecosystems on the Sunshine Coast.” Salmon escapement refers to the salmon that are able to escape predation to
return to their natal streams to spawn. Salmon are an extremely important
- Dr. Michelle Evelyn, Leader, ecological resource as a food source for both terrestrial and marine animals.
Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project Further, returning salmon feed the riparian vegetation surrounding the stream,
linking marine derived nutrients to the land. They are also a cultural resource
for síshálh First Nations and economical resource for commercial fisheries.
Weekly salmon escapement counts were performed in Anderson Creek and
Meyers Creek between September 18th and December 10th this year. We also
enumerated two smaller tributaries: Coho Creek which drains into Anderson
Creek, and Meadow Creek that drains into Meyers Creek. Chum salmon were
the most abundant salmonid species in all creeks, followed by coho salmon
and cutthroat trout. We also noted that overall fish abundance was higher in the
Anderson Creek Watershed in 2019 than it was in 2017 but lower than 2018. All
of our results were reported to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(DFO) and compiled into Escapement Bulletins, which can be accessed online via
the DFO website.
Pinniped Monitoring
Data on pinnipeds on the Sunshine Coast is scarce. There have been
observations of increased California sea lions within the area and claims
that the seal populations are exploding, impacting the fisheries sector. Data
collection for these animals is extremely important at this time to make sure
that decisions regarding populations are made with sound data, rather than
anecdotal evidence.
In 2019, citizen scientists and Lagoon Society staff identified pinniped haul-out
sites, via numerous boats captained by our amazing community volunteers.
Information on potential sites came both from local knowledge and by surveying
the coastline. We have completed surveys from Bertha Island in Halfmoon Bay to
McRae Islets near Powell River.
In 2019, a total of 6 surveys were completed. A total of 1,073 Pacific harbour
seals, 275 Stellar sea lions and 12 California sea lions were documented in
2019. California sea lions were observed for the first time in 2019. While they
were noted in large numbers north of Pender Harbour ( Powell River) and South
(Sechelt), not many were observed within the study area.
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