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2007 Georgia Basin Puget Sound Research Conference
Abstracts and Panel Descriptions
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Chair: Don Rothaus
Changes in Abundance and Size of Pinto Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) in the San Juan Archipelago
(1979 to 2006)
Northern Abalone and Engineering Species in the San Juan
Islands: Implications for Restoration Strategies
Early Life History Dynamics of the Pinto Abalone (Haliotis Kamtschatkana) in the San Juan
Archipelago, Washington State
Evidence for a Cryptic Form of Abalone in Washington State, and
Impact on the Census Size of Populations of Pinto Abalone in the Region
Three Approaches to Out-Planting Hatchery-Reared Pinto Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) British Columbia, Canada.
Wild Brood-Stock Aggregations as a Recovery Tool for the
Northern Abalone (Haliotis Kamtschatkana) in
the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada, British Columbia.
Federal Protection for Northern Abalone in the USA: Comparing
and Contrasting the Process and Potential Outcomes of Species of Concern Versus
ESA Listings
Developing a Sound Recovery Strategy for the First Endangered
Marine Invertebrate, White Abalone (Haliotis
Sorenseni)
Chair: Sandy Wyllie-Escheverria
Lipid Biomarkers as Proxies of Past Eelgrass Abundance and
Organic Matter Composition of Sediment in the Nearshore of Puget Sound, WA
Variation in Floral and Seedling Development as Indicators of
Seagrass Meadow Condition.
Population Status of the Seagrass Zostera Marina in the San Juan
Archipelago
Fish Assemblages Found in Eelgrass Meadows (Zostera marina) of the New Gulf Islands National
Park Reserve of Canada
Assessing the Ecological Connectivity of Eelgrass Habitats and
Protected Areas: a Tail of the
Population Structure of the Eastern Pacific Bay Pipefish, Syngnathus Leptorhynchus.
Panel 4D: The San Juan County Marine Stewardship Area: A Local
Approach to Ecosystem-Based Management
Chair: Jody Kennedy
Located at the
convergence of Puget Sound and Georgia Basin, the San Juan archipelago is
characterized by its rich diversity of marine life and is one of the best
functioning marine systems in Puget Sound. In response to regional population
pressures and declining health of local marine species, County Commissioners
declared the county a Marine Stewardship Area and tasked the local Marine
Resources Committee (MRC) with identifying voluntary and regulatory management
measures that would protect and restore the marine ecosystem for the needs of
wildlife and humans. In partnership with the Northwest Straits Commission and
The Nature Conservancy, the MRC engaged scientists, managers, citizens and
stakeholders in a strategic conservation planning process, adapting The Nature
Conservancy's site-based conservation action planning approach. The outcome is
a list of conservation strategies upon which to base actions, measurable
benchmarks and research priorities. To be effective, the plan will require a
coordinated effort of local, state, federal and tribal managers, the science
community, stakeholders, and citizens who reside and vacation in the San Juan
Islands. Panelists will describe this local approach to Ecosystem-based
Management, the resulting strategies and the necessary next steps for
successful implementation.
Facilitator: Jody
Kennedy, Surfrider Foundation
Panel Members:
• Kevin Ranker,
San Juan County Council
• Jacques White,
The Nature Conservancy
• Ginny
Broadhurst, Northwest Straits Commission
• Kit Rawson,
Tulalip Tribes, San Juan County Marine Resources Committee
Chairs: Patrick Shaw and Peter Ross
Concerns about
legacy contaminants in marine organisms in Puget Sound and the Strait of
Georgia were focussed with the discovery of harmful levels of PCBs and elevated
levels of PBDEs in resident killer whales. Since 2004 a multiagency effort has
been underway, with funding from Environment Canada's Georgia Basin Action
Plan, to look at sources and fate of these contaminants in the Strait of
Georgia, and making progress on modelling their movement in the environment.
Panel Members:
• Peter Ross,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Patrick Shaw,
Environment, Canada
• Sophia
Johannessen, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Robie Macdonald,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Mike Sanborne,
UMA Engineering Ltd.
• Frank Gobas,
Simon Fraser University
Towards an Understanding of Sources, Fate and Effects of PCBs
and PBDEs in the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem
The Long Reach of PCBs and PBDEs in the Georgia Basin: What are
Blue Mussels Telling us?
What are Harbour Seals Telling us About PCBs and PBDEs in the
Georgia Basin Food Web?
A Comparison of PCBs and PBDEs in Strait of Georgia Sediments
Mass Balance Model of the Movement of Toxic Contaminants in the
Georgia Basin Food-Web
A Preliminary Mass Balance for Selected PCB and PBDE Congeners
in the Strait of Georgia
Chair: Erik Karlsen
Collaborative Planning as a Catalyst for Transboundary
Environmental Governance
Environmental Governance in Georgia Basin/Puget Sound: the Roles of Tribes and First Nations
Lessons in Accountability and Governance of Large-Scale
Ecosystem Recovery Efforts
The International Watersheds Initiative
Tides of Change: Place Meanings and Social Ecological Systems in
the Broughton Archipelago
Estuaries, and the Entire History and Future of Humans on Earth
Chair: Christianne Wilhelmson
Siting a New Wastewater Treatment Facility Marine Outfall: a Comprehensive, Ten-Year Study
Estimating the Impacts of Domestic Discharges to the Ocean - A
Case Study from Indian Arm
Linked Biotic/Geochemical Indicators of Organic Enrichment: Case
study Using a Ubiquitous Bivalve
Subtidal Benthos of the Southern Strait of Georgia in Relation
to Natural and Anthropogenic Particulate Seidmentation, Transport and Burial
Chair: Ginny Broadhurst
A Tool for Local Agencies:
the Derelict Vessel Removal Program
Survey and Removal of Creosote Debris from the Northwest Straits
The Impacts of Derelict Fishing Gear to Species and Habitats in
Puget Sound
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Derelict Fishing Gear and its Impacts
on Marine Fauna of the Puget Sound-Georgia Strait Basin
Chair: Wayne Erickson
Origins and Sustainability of San Juan Archipelago Garry Oak
Populations
The Role of Local Environmental Conditions and Landscape Context
in Determining Plant Diversity In Garry Oak Ecosystems on Southeastern
Vancouver Island
Invading Geese Facilitate Invading Grasses in Canada's Gulf
Islands National Park Reserve
Chair: Scott Redman
Development of an Empirical Water Quality Model for Stormwater
and Watershed Land-Use in Puget Sound
Urban Toxics Load to Puget Sound - A First Approximation
Preliminary Estimates of Toxic Contaminant Loading to Puget
Sound
The Permitted Loading of Toxic Constituents to the Puget Sound
Basin
Mixing Zone Contributions of Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic
Chemicals into Puget Sound
Chair: Scott Brewer
Projecting Buildout Conditions in the Hood Canal Watershed:
Impervious Surface Estimates for Watershed Planning and Salmon Recovery
Land Use Permit Tracking: Monitoring and Evaluation of Land Use
Regulatory Programs for Salmon Recovery Planning in Hood Canal
Ecosystem Status and Trends Assessment
Use of Coast Salish Knowledge in Early Studies of Pacific Salmon
Zoology, 1855-1860
Improved Decision Making with The Boater Information System
Enhancing Transportation Project Delivery Through Watershed
Characterization
Co-Chairs: Hilary S. Culverwell and Andrea MacLennan
This panel will
address a number of issues including: source of wood waste in the Georgia Basin
Puget Sound region, impacts to marine communities, the extent of the problem in
the GBPS region, examples of impacts, remediation and restoration efforts, and
lessons learned from restoration efforts.
Panel Members:
• Joel Breems,
University of Washington and Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group
• Russ McMillan,
Washington State Dept. of Ecology
• Jon Houghton
• Chris Picard,
University of Victoria
• Joel Elliott,
University of Puget Sound
• Clay Patmont,
Anchor Environmental
Sediment Wood Debris: Potential Physical Effects, Toxicity
Relationships, and Implications for Restoration
Chair: Wayne Palsson
Regional Variation in ICUN Redbook Listings of Marine Fish
Species: Overzealous Listing Activity in the Atlantic or Too Little in the
Pacific?
Fraser River White Sturgeon: Science, Knowledge and Action in
Support of a Sustainable Transboundary Population
Seattle Aquarium's Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus
griseus) Conservation Ecology Project Update
Impacts of Disease to Wild Fish Populations with Special
Reference to the Salish Sea Region
Prevalence of Ichthyophonus in Copper Rockfish (Sebastes caurinus) from Puget Sound, WA.
Chair: Jessie Lacy and Jeff Gaeckle
Seagrass is
emerging as an indicator of ecological health for the Salish Sea. Improved
understanding of the ecology, status, and trends of seagrass is critical to the
management of this important resource. Scientists and resource managers are
developing new technologies and analytical techniques to advance monitoring of
the status and trends in seagrass distribution, as well as interpretation of
these trends. The ecology and habitat provided by seagrasses are also areas of
active research. This session will focus on status and trends, ecological
functions and values, and natural and anthropogenic controls on the
distribution of seagrass resources in Salish Sea. Innovative and alternative
technologies, analyses, and modeling used in research and monitoring at local
and regional scales will be featured.
Panel Members:
• Renee Takesue,
U.S. Geological Survey
• Zachary Hughes,
University of Washington
• Michael Hannam,
University of Washington
• Anja Schanz,
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
• Jessica Lacy,
U.S. Geological Survey
Linking Long-Term Eelgrass Monitoring with Local Research and
Management Projects
Redox-Driven Bioavailability of Phosphate and Sulfide in
Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) Root Zones
Bathymetry, Bottom Mapping, and Recovery Projections of Eelgrass
for Anchor Buoy Relocation Project at Echo Bay, Sucia Island, WA
Mapping Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in South Puget Sound
Do Hydrodynamics Initiate Changes in Ecosystem Function of
Intertidal Seagrass Beds?
Interaction of Eelgrass with Nearshore Tidal Currents
Chair: Ken Brock
Bulkhead Removal Feasibility Study, Central Puget Sound,
WA.
Seattle's Central Waterfront: Opportunities and Constraints for
Nearshore Habitat Restoration
From Capitol Lake to Deschutes Estuary: Modeling Restoration of
an Impounded Estuary
Net Benefit Analysis of Restoring an Estuary in an Urban
Setting: The Deschutes River Basin, Washington
Building an Action Plan for Biodiversity Conservation in the
Greater Vancouver Region
Urban Watershed Restoration -- Putting Plans into Action
Chair: Nat Scholz
Impacts of Stormwater Runoff on Coho Salmon in Restored Urban
Streams
Coho Pre-Spawn Mortality in Urbanized Puget Sound Watersheds:
What Does the Surrounding Landscape Tell Us?
Synergistic Toxicity in Juvenile Coho Salmon Exposed to Mixtures
of Organophosphate and Carbamate Insecticides
Pesticides and Pacific Salmon: Linking Exposure to Physiology,
Behavior, Growth, Survival, and The Long-Term Productivity of Threatened and Endangered
Populations.
Five Years of Research on the Health of Salmon in Urban Streams:
Lessoned Learned and Future Directions.
Chair: Randal Taira
Hood Canal and Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca Summer Chum Salmon
Recovery Plan: The Hood Canal Coordinating Council Approach to Salmon Recovery
Planning
Ground-Truthing the Habitat Inventory for the Fraser River
Estuary: Habitat Status Report and Lessons Learned
Application of a Coastal Landform Classification GIS Database to
Washington State Parks in the Puget Sound
Modeling Potential Effects as a Management Tool for Washington's
State-owned Aquatic Lands
An Interdisciplinary Cyber-Infrastructure for Multi-Scaled
Coastal Zone Research
Integrated Modeling of Surface Water in WRIA 8: An Application of
the Integrated Water Resource Modeling System (IWRMS)
Chair: Gevan Mattu
The workshop
session will present three recently-released reports on ecosystem indicators,
from a transboundary, watershed and landscape perspective: the Puget Sound /
Georgia Basin Ecosystem Indicators Report; the Fraser Basin Council's
ÒSnapshotÓ reports; and the Fraser River Estuary Management Program (FREMP)
Monitoring Report.
These perspectives
will be brought together to illustrate differences in indicator selection,
consultation, report development, outreach, and connection with decision-making
in these different contexts. The workshop will allow discussion on strategic
issues and common challenges relating to the development and use of ecosystem
indicators to advance sustainability in our shared region, with a goal of
documenting and advancing the Òstate of the artÓ. Issues to be covered
include:evaluating and enhancing the use of indicators; developing
sustainability targets and benchmarks; and visual presentation of indicators
and data.
Panel Members:
• Steve Litke,
Fraser Basin Council
• Zita Botelho,
British Columbia Ministry of Environment
• Michael Rylko,
Environmental Protection Agency
Chair: Ruston Sweeting
An Assessment of the Efficacy of Forage Fish Egg Surveys
Biocomplexity and Metapopulation Dynamics of Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in Puget Sound
Application of Population Modeling to Identify the Eastern
Pacific Decadal Oscillation as a Factor in the Decline the Cherry Point Pacific
Herring (Clupea Pallasi) Stock
Diets of Larval and Juvenile Pacific Hake and Walleye Pollock in
The Strait of Georgia.
A Remarkable Settlement of Young-of-the-Year Rockfishes in Puget
Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 2006
Chair: Ron Thom
Seagrasses provide
valuable ecological functions to coastal systems but are under constant threat
from development and degrading environmental conditions. Although not fully
documented, seagrass losses in the Salish Sea region are believed to be
extensive. As a result, eelgrass restoration and mitigation has been increasing
throughout the region. Because of the challenges in restoring eelgrass and
anticipated future threats, a comprehensive and coordinated seagrass
restoration program is required to result in a net gain in the area and quality
of seagrass meadows. Future restoration projects will need to adapt based on
previous data to improve seagrass transplant success, however, the results of
the multitude of seagrass transplant efforts are mixed and often not readily
available. It is only through open and cooperative region-wide effort that true
progress toward a net improvement in seagrass systems will be made. The goal of
the session is to provide an opportunity for scientists, consultants and
managers to network and present methods and results of seagrass restoration
projects.
Panel Members:
• Jeffrey Gaeckle,
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
• Pete Dowty,
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
• Cynthia Durance,
Precision Identification
• Matthew Boyle,
Grette Associates, LLC
• Amy Borde,
Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory
Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.)
Status and Trends in Greater Puget Sound: Local Change Within Large-Scale
Stability
Biophysical Modeling to Assess the Effect Of Changes in the
Light Environment on Zostera Marina
(Eelgrass) Production and Growth
Eelgrass Restoration and Compensation in the British Columbia
The Drayton Harbor Eelgrass Habitat
Eelgrass Restoration: State of the Science in the Pacific
Northwest
Patterns of Change and Stability in Distribution of Eelgrasses
and Macroalgae in Padilla Bay, Washington, 1989 to 2004
Chair: Scott Redman
Historical Changes in Nearshore Sedimentation and Habitat
Availabilityi the Skagit River Delta
An Integrated Ecological and Human Health Risk Model for Lake
Whatcom, a Multiple-Use Water Supply in Whatcom County WA
Watershed-Scale HSPF Modeling to Evaluate the Hydrologic Effects
of Floodplain Restoration and its Ability to Mitigate the Hydrologic Impacts of
Highway Construction
Chair: Bruce Wulkan
Non-Point Sources of Pollution in the Lower Fraser Valley:
1970-2006
Urban Non-Point Source Impacts on Seattle Area Stream Phosphorus
Transport
Bioretention Design, Sizing, and Flow Control Benefits
Stormwater Quantity Control for Highways and Subdivisions- The
Case for Exempting Projects Discharging to Large Streams
Using Market Forces to Implement Sustainable Stormwater
Management
Parking Lots to Creeks to Puget Sound
Low Impact Solutions to Stormwater from Small Farm Confinement Areas
Panel 7F: The Shared Waters Alliance: Proactively Addressing
Water Quality in an International and Multi-Jurisdictional Watershed
Chair: Julia Brydon
The Shared Waters
Alliance (SWA) is an international working group focused on the water quality
of the Canadian-US shared waters of Boundary Bay. Boundary Bay's waters support
a rich and diverse ecosystem; however, as the region's population has grown,
these waters have experienced varying degrees of environmental degradation due
to urbanization and agricultural intensification. The SWA was formed in 1999
and is made up of government representatives, First Nations and community
groups from both countries. A primary driver for the formation of this working
group was the shellfish contamination that had closed Boundary Bay for
harvesting since 1962. Since then, the focus of the group has expanded to
reflect emerging concerns. Watershed studies have been conducted, including a
circulation study of Drayton Harbour and a survey of outfalls along the Bay,
which identified the Little Campbell River (LCR) as the most significant
contributor of fecal contamination into Drayton Harbour. These results led to a
watershed characterization study of the LCR and a water quality monitoring
program which links into a watershed forecast modeling system. The experiences
of the SWA reflect how a multi-jurisdictional watershed with numerous non-point
sources of pollution can be managed through a coordinated effort among different
stakeholders. Presentations will be followed by a panel discussion.
Panel Members
• Alice Cheung,
Environment Canada
• Pamela Zevit,
Adamah Consultants
• Christy Juteau,
BC Ministry of Environment
• Stuart Hamilton,
Environment Canada
• David Riley,
Little Campbell Watershed Society
• Carrie Baron,
City of Surrey
• Hillary
Culverwell, Puget Sound Action Team
• Joanne Charles,
Semiahmoo First Nation