Beach seine surveys and monitoring in the Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve

As stewards of the environment, the Samish Nation has gathered and protected culturally significant resources within the Salish Sea since time immemorial. The Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve is located just east of Anacortes in Skagit County, which is part of Samish Traditional Territory. The bay consists of saltwater marsh, eelgrass beds, cobble beaches, and tidal flat habitats. For many years it was used as log storage for plywood mills and other heavy industry. Due to the contamination from these mills and the bay’s designation as an Aquatic Reserve, shoreline restoration projects within the bay became a priority. Through EPA funding from the Puget Sound Partnership grant, Samish Indian Nation Department of Natural Resources (Samish DNR) in collaboration with the Northwest Straits Foundation (NWSF) began beach seining in the spring of 2015 within the Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve. The beach seining project provides data on fish assemblages for both pre-and-post beach restoration sites in the Reserve. Using methods developed and tested by NOAA, Samish DNR and local volunteers deploy a beach seine to capture fish which are then identified, measured and released as quickly as possible for minimal impact. Seining data is shared with our partners at NWSF, NOAA, and WDFW. The data will also help Samish DNR to evaluate the success of our beach restoration in improving habitat for forage fish and juvenile salmon. Seining efforts in Fidalgo Bay are funded through 2019. This poster intends to show fish species trends in Fidalgo Bay and compare restored vs. unrestored beaches. The poster will also highlight the importance of having strong partnerships between tribal agencies and project volunteers. The Samish DNR could not perform the beach seine surveys without our volunteers’ time, knowledge and skill set