Testimony given to the Washington State House Environment Committee on the importance, status and recovery of forage fish species in Puget Sound. Audio accompaniment can be found on TVW
http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2014031031
"Forage Fish in Puget Sound," Presentation to WA House Environment Committee 13 March 2014
1. Tessa Francis, PhD
University of Washington Tacoma
Puget Sound Institute
WA House Environment Committee
March 13, 2014
Forage Fish in Puget Sound:
Status, Importance, and Recovery
2. Pacific
herring
Clupea
pallasii
photo
by
Walter
Rung
Surf
smelt
Hypomesus
pre/osus
photo
by
Frank
Varga
Sand
lance
Ammodytes
hexapterus
photo
by
Ground
Truth
Trekking
Meet
the
fish.
3. Forage
fish
are
more
valuable
in
the
water
than
out.
Harbor
Seals:
80%
Chinook
salmon:
80%
Lingcod:
95%
Orcas
Rhinoceros
auklet:
70%
Marbled
murrelet:
60%
TuGed
puffin
Photo
by
Peter
Hodum
4. Forage
fish
are
30-‐60
Lmes
more
valuable
in
the
water
Source:
DFW
2008,
TCW
Economics;
LenFest
Forage
Fish
Task
Force
Report
Direct
value
SupporLve
value
$25
million
$0.4
–
0.8
million
5. Key
Indicators
of
Ecosystem
Health
Food
web
connec*ons
Forage
fish
Zooplankton
Phytoplankton
Predators
6. Key
Indicators
of
Ecosystem
Health
Human
impacts
Shoreline
development
Contaminants/pollutants
Water
quality
Human
AcLviLes
7. Pacific
herring
Engraulis
mordax
photo
by
Walter
Rung
What
is
their
status?
0
3,000
6,000
9,000
12,000
15,000
18,000
1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018
TONS
Adult Herring Spawner Biomass
8. Pacific
herring
Engraulis
mordax
photo
by
Walter
Rung
?
photo
by
Frank
Varga
?
What
is
their
status?
0
3,000
6,000
9,000
12,000
15,000
18,000
1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018
TONS
Adult Herring Spawner Biomass
9. Pacific
herring
Engraulis
mordax
photo
by
Frank
Varga
photo
by
Ground
Truth
Trekking
We
have
major
challenges
Herring
1. We
don’t
know
why
herring
are
declining.
• Habitat
loss
• PredaEon
• PolluEon
• Prey
• Disease
• Disturbance
2. We
don’t
know
populaEon
status
of
surf
smelt
or
sand
lance.
• How
many
are
there?
• How
many
do
we
need?
10. We
do
know
habitat
ma]ers
• Herring
populaEon
is
2x
more
stable
because
of
habitat
diversity.
• Shoreline
development
degrades
forage
fish
spawning
habitat.
• Higher
egg
mortality
• Higher
temperatures
• Loss
of
fresh
sediment
supply
11. What
acLons
are
we
taking?
• Puget
Sound
Partnership
is
tracking
Pacific
herring
as
an
indicator
of
ecosystem
health.
• Puget
Sound
InsLtute
has
convened
a
panel
of
forage
fish
experts
to
fill
key
informaEon
gaps
using
exisEng
data.
• Puget
Sound
Ecosystem
Monitoring
Program
has
prioriEzed
measuring
sand
lance
and
surf
smelt
abundance.
• Dept
of
Fish
&
Wildlife
is
taking
a
precauEonary
approach
with
fisheries
management.
• Dept
of
Fish
&
Wildlife
requires
HPA
permit
to
develop
shorelines.
12. What
more
should
we
be
doing?
1. Collect
abundance
data
for
surf
smelt
and
sand
lance
2. EsEmate
the
abundance
of
surf
smelt
and
sand
lance
using
exisLng
data
3. Determine
the
limitaEons
to
herring
recovery
using
exisLng
data
4. Collect
biological
informaEon
5. Improve
habitat
protecEon
regulaEons
6. Limit
fisheries
harvest
7. Monitor
predators
and
prey