The Skeena River Estuary

A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition 2 A data quality an online database. Data Compilation to systematically and and to systematically Skeena River estuary. River Skeena of datasets relevant to the of datasets relevant available to the public through available Existing relevant datasets were datasets were Existing relevant Data Quality Assessment assessment was undertaken was undertaken assessment identified, compiled, and made objectively review the quality review objectively

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i l r o i e r P Dev Estuary Assessment Review Estuary Assessment A literature review of other estuary review A literature for the assessment. the framework assessments informed the design of assessments Development of Development Benchmarks & of Indicators Assessment identified Benchmark values were the status of each and used to assess estuary indicator. Prioritization of Activities Monitoring Gaps and limitations in data were the available identified to inform priorities for future monitoring and critical data collection needs. Project OverviewProject status the assess to benchmarks used We estuary. River Skeena the in habitat salmon on pressures key assessed project This was assessment The needs. monitoring future and gaps knowledge critical identified and indicators habitat salmon of in a stored which are estuary, River for the Skeena compile the best available data to effort by a comprehensive supported website. Salmon Program the public on the Skeena to that is accessible online database centralized Photo Credit : Paul Colangelo : Paul Credit Photo The density and diversity of salmon food. The density and diversity The extent of eelgrass. The extent The growth and condition of juvenile salmon. condition of juvenile and The growth The distribution and abundance of juvenile salmon. of juvenile The distribution and abundance What are critical gaps in our understanding of the Skeena River estuary? River of the Skeena gaps in our understanding critical What are What is the status of salmon habitat in the Skeena River estuary? River in the Skeena of salmon habitat What is the status What are the key pressures on salmon habitat? pressures the key What are

Addressing these knowledge gaps should be an immediate priority for government agencies, First Nations, agencies, First government for priority gaps should be an immediate these knowledge Addressing of knowledge collective our building By estuary. River Skeena the in interest an with stakeholders all and identify conservation equipped to local communities will be better salmon and their habitats, Skeena the region. priorities for • • • With input from a regional technical advisory committee, we generated a snapshot of the current status of status snapshot of the current a generated we advisory committee, technical a regional input from With and time, estuary over changes in the condition of the monitoring for a baseline established the estuary, estuary. River in the Skeena on salmon habitat pressures evaluating key for a framework developed forneed highlighting the estuary, River Skeena the for information gaps in considerable revealed This project monitoring future that recommend We indicators. estuary in trends of assessment and monitoring increased topics: four priority focus on efforts • • • The Pacific Salmon Foundation undertook an assessment of the health and condition of the Skeena River River of the Skeena the health and condition of an assessment undertook Foundation Salmon The Pacific asked: we of salmon. Specifically, the perspective estuary from • The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 1 3 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition Pacific Salmon&TheSkeena Watershed watersheds inCanada. With anarea of55,000 km The Skeena watershed innorthernBritishColumbiaisoneofthemostproductive andbiologicallydiverse become animportantsource ofmarinenutrientsforfreshwater andriparianecosystems. of wildsalmon,calledConservationUnits.Asthesepopulationsreturn totheirnatalstreams, spawnanddie, they chum) andprovides spawningandrearing habitatforover 50geneticallyandgeographically distinctpopulations province (after the Fraser). The Skeena supports five species of Pacific salmon (sockeye, pink, chinook, coho,and 2 , itisthesecondlargestsalmon-producingwatershed inthe populations. to minimize riskstowild salmon time andidentifyingstrategies changes inhabitat status over evaluating and tracking potential River estuary is an essential part of on salmonhabitatintheSkeena the current statusofkey pressures Understanding and documenting through theSkeena River estuary. salmon populationsastheytransit food availability forjuvenile and marinehabitats,reduce degrade importantfreshwater conditions, canalter water quality, combination withchangingocean pressures from human activities, in Over time, however, cumulative recreational opportunities. fisheries, andnumeroustourism tidal andfreshwater recreational support commercial fisheries, Skeena salmonpopulationsalso Nations cultures and economies. salmon featuring prominentlyinFirst First Nationsformillennia,withwild salmon populationshave supported The Skeena’s abundantanddiverse Photo Credit :BrianHuntington into five distinctsalinity classes. a range ofsalinitieswithdiffering levels ofproductivityandhabitat suitability. To reflect these differences, wepartitionedtheestuary Skeena estuaryboundaryandsalinityclasses: Asjuvenile salmontransit through theSkeena River estuaryouttosea,theyexperience protecting andmitigatingthreats totheseimportanthabitats. gaps hinderourabilitytobothassess thestatusofestuarinehabitatsforSkeena salmonand employstrategies for River estuary, theextent ofeelgrass habitat,andtheavailability offoodforjuvenile salmon.Theseknowledge Skeena salmonpopulations.However, there islimited informationonhow longjuvenile salmonspendintheSkeena Maintaining the integrity and function of these estuarine habitats is important for supporting healthy and productive whether juvenile salmonsurvive toareproductive age. vegetation (such aseelgrass andkelp beds), andriparianvegetation. Growth attained intheestuarycaninfluence adapt totheirnew saltwater environment. Theyalsoprovide refuge frompredators duetohighturbidity, estuarine Estuaries actascriticalnursery habitatsandtransition zoneswhere juvenile salmoncangrow rapidly andgradually topography, salinity, water temperature, turbidity, tidesandcurrents, foodabundance, andpredator populations. as theymigrate outtosea.Astheyleave freshwater andenter theocean,juvenile salmonencounter differences in nursery habitatforjuvenile salmon.Hundreds ofmillionsjuvenile salmontravel throughtheSkeena River estuary The Skeena River estuaryiscomprised ofextensive mudflatsandshallow intertidal passages thatprovide important The SkeenaRiverEstuary Sal inity Classes Sk > 30pp 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12pp eena Estuar t t

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r 4 Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The Conceptual Model of The Skeena River Estuary PRESSURE ECOSYSTEM COMPONENT SALMON POPULATION

IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY IMPACTS ON SALMON HABITAT & LOWER FOOD WEB DIRECT IMPACTS ON SALMON POPULATIONS

SHORELINE & WASTEWATER OCEAN MARINE CLIMATE INVASIVE HATCHERY MARINE DREDGING NEARSHORE HARVEST PREDATORS DISEASE DISCHARGES DUMPING FORESTRY CHANGE SPECIES RELEASES VESSEL TRAFFIC DEVELOPMENT

SHORELINE GEOMORPHOLOGY & COMPOSITION

NUTRIENTS

INTERTIDAL ABIOTIC CONDITIONS WETLANDS

EELGRASS & KELP

ZOOPLANKTON The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition

TOXIC CONTAMINANTS PHYTOPLANKTON

We developed a salmon-focused conceptual model of the Skeena River estuary to provide an overview of the relationships between salmon and the various components of the estuary ecosystem. The model is organized into three high-level categories that capture the major pressures and environmental processes that relate to wild salmon: (1) water quality, (2) habitat & lower food web, and (3)

salmon populations. In order to arrive at this conceptual model, we examined different approaches that had been used to assess WILD SALMON other large estuaries around the world. This review, in combination with input from local technical experts, allowed us to identify indicators that are the most relevant for assessing the health and status of estuarine habitats. The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition Estuary - A Snapshot of Current River The Skeena

5 6 7 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition rating facilitated anobjective evaluationofeachtheavailable datasets. data qualityscore of*(poorquality)to***(highquality).Thisdataquality to ourproject,aswell asitsscientificquality. Thedatasets were given a status ofeachindicator, we alsoevaluated therelevance ofeachdataset and average orabsolute valueswere used.Inadditiontoassessing the or insufficient data(grey). Insomecases, benchmarks were not available within eachofthefive salinityzones:good(green), fair (yellow), poor(red), the establishedbenchmarks,eachindicatorwasgiven astatusdesignation reference againstwhichthevalueofeachindicatorwascompared. Using For eachoftheselected indicators, benchmarkswere identifiedaspointsof ReportCard Estuary Photo Credits :Tavish Campbell can directly affect salmon populations. Pressures, suchastheabundanceofpredators, affect salmon. properties withintheestuary, whichindirectly Human activitiescanalter physical andchemical Water Quality of pressures actingdirectly orindirectly uponthem. populations reflect thecumulative effects ofthesuite The health,abundance, and diversity ofwildsalmon Wild Salmon Direct Pressures onSalmonPopulations organisms theyconsume. that alter thehabitatstheyinhabitor Salmon canbeindirectly affected bypressures Habitat &Lower Food Web

Wild Salmon Salmon Populations Habitat & Lower Food Web Water Quality 2 1 Intheabsence ofbenchmarks, average valuesare reported. Intheabsence ofbenchmarks, absolute valuesare reported. Intertidal Wetlands Extent Smolt Residence Time Smolt Density Smolt Growth Smolt Survival Adult SalmonAbundance Disease &Pathogen Prevalence Predatory Seabird Distribution orAbundance Marine MammalDistributionorAbundance Predatory FishDistributionorAbundance Recreational Harvest Commercial Harvest Intact RiparianVegetation Extent Native Macroalgae Extent -%shoreline Native Eelgrass Extent -%shoreline Native Eelgrass Extent -#ofbeds Algae BloomNumberorExtent Chlorophyll aConcentration –remote sensing Chlorophyll aConcentration –direct sampling Marine Vessel Traffic Density– vessels >200m Marine Vessel Traffic Density–all vessel sizes Hatchery SalmonAbundance Shoreline &Nearshore Development Extent Invasive SpeciesDistributionorAbundance Nitrate Concentration (N) Phosphorus Concentration (P) UV Sea Surface Temperature (SST) pH Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Turbidity orTotal SuspendedSediments(TSS) Sediment ChemicalContaminants Water Column Bacterial Contaminants -Fecal Coliform Water Column Bacterial Contaminants -Enterococci Water Column Chemical Contaminants -Naphthalene Water Column Chemical Contaminants -Mercury Water Column Chemical Contaminants -Arsenic Log BoomSites Dredging Extent Disposal atSeaSites Wastewater Discharge Sites Zooplankton DensityorDiversity Native Macroalgae Extent -#ofbeds Indicator 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 14.4/m 0.4hrs 35hrs < 12 2% 1% 17 1 Good 3 22.8/m 7.2hrs 12-18 7.8°C 73hrs Assessed inotherPSFprojects Assessed inotherPSFprojects Assessed inotherPSFprojects 295 11% 6% 62 Salinity Zone (inppt) Fair 3 74.5/m 18 -26 109hrs 4.9hrs 8.1°C 30% 39% 229 419 Poor 3 26 -30 1.6hrs 15hrs 60% 44% 478 173 Insufficient Data (seeDataGaps& Monitoring Priorities) 27hrs > 30 0hrs 6% 6% 65 15 Relevance ««« ««« ««« ««« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« « Data Quality Scientific ««« ««« ««« ««« ««« ««« ««« ««« ««« ««« «««

«« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« «« 8 Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 9 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition Program website. individual indicators canbeevaluated over time. Thedatausedforthisassessment are available publiclythroughtheSkeena Salmon salmon populationswithintheestuary. Thesemapshelptoidentifybaselineconditionsagainstwhichfuture changesinthestatusof from human-related andnatural pressures, aswell asinformationaboutthecurrent conditionofthewater, food,habitat, and time thisprojectwasundertaken. Thiscollectionofindicators provides informationaboutthedegree ofstress onestuarinehabitats The mapsonthefollowing pagesdisplaythestatusofeach theestuaryindicators usingthedatasetsthatwere available atthe Indicators Status ofEstuary Salinity Classes Water Discharges (2015) growth andsurvival. thereby affecting theproductivityofeelgrass bedsandsalmon bacterial contaminantsandnutrientsthatcanalter water quality, Wastewater maycontainhighconcentrations ofchemicaland Wastewater Discharge Sites Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Refuse Effluent Photo Credit :Tavish Campbell nearshore habitatatlogboomingsites. alteration fromgroundedlogsmayreduce water qualityin productivity byshadingmarinevegetation, orphysical The introductionofexcessive wooddebris,reduced Salinity Classes Log Storage andHandling(2015) Log BoomSites Salinity Classes Status Disposal atSeaSites (2013) Disposal atSeaSites as salmongrowth andsurvival. thereby affecting theproductivityofeelgrass bedsas well contaminants andnutrientsthatcanalter water quality, Ocean dumpingmayintroducechemicalandbacterial Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Tenure Area Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Historical Active

10 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 11 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and theirprey. affect thegrowth andsurvivalofjuvenile salmon in theestuary. Ifsufficiently toxic, contaminants mayadversely lowering pHandincreasing thepresence ofdissolved metals High levels ofcontaminantscanimpactwater qualityby Salinity Classes Arsenic (Spring2013) Arsenic Water Column ChemicalContaminants – Salinity Classes Mercury (Spring2013) and theirprey. affect thegrowth andsurvivalofjuvenile salmon in theestuary. Ifsufficiently toxic, contaminantsmayadversely lowering pHandincreasing thepresence ofdissolved metals High levels ofcontaminantscanimpactwater qualityby Mercury Water Column ChemicalContaminants – Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 0.0125 mg/L < 0.0125 mg/L Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 0.000016 mg/L < 0.000016 mg/L salmon growth andsurvival. water qualityintheestuaryandcreate poorconditionsfor High concentrations ofbacterial contaminantscanreduce Salinity Classes Enterococci (Spring2013) Enterococci Water Column Bacterial Contaminants – Salinity Classes Naphthalene (Spring2013) Naphthalene Water Column ChemicalContaminants – growth andsurvivalofjuvenile salmonand theirprey. estuary. Ifsufficiently toxic, napthalene mayadversely affect the High levels ofcontaminantscanimpactwater qualityinthe Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 11CFU/100 mL 4 -11CFU/100 mL < 4CFU/100 mL Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 0.0014 µg/L < 0.0014 µg/L

12 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 13 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition salmon growth andsurvival. water qualityintheestuaryandcreate poorconditionsfor High concentrations ofbacterial contaminantscanreduce Salinity Classes (Spring 2013) Total SuspendedSediments juvenile salmon. of eelgrass beds,theavailability offood,andthesurvival in theestuary. Bothof theseconditionsmayaffect thegrowth High levels ofsedimentandturbiditycanreduce water quality Turbidity orTotal SuspendedSediments Salinity Classes Fecal Coliform (Spring2013) Fecal Coliform Water Column Bacterial Contaminants – Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 80mg/L 25 -80mg/L < 25mg/L Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 43CFU/100 mL 14 -43CFU/100 mL < 14CFU/100 mL growth andsurvival. conditions intheestuarybelow thetolerance range forsalmon chronic exposure tolow pH.ChangesinpHcouldcreate local Salmon populationsare adversely impacted bybothacute and Salinity Classes pH (Spring2013) pH low dissolved oxygen concentrations canbelethaltosalmon. feeding, andreproductive ability. Underextreme conditions, development ofjuvenile salmon,aswell astheirswimming, Low levels ofdissolved oxygen canaffect thegrowth and Salinity Classes Dissolved Oxygen (Spring2013) Dissolved Oxygen Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt < 7.0 or>8.7 7.0 -8.7 Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt < 2mg/L 2 -5mg/L > 5mg/L

14 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 15 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition salmon andaquaticvegetation. oxygen inthewater column,potentially harmingjuvenile in coastalecosystems. Thisconditioncandeplete dissolved and contribute tothedevelopment ofnoxious algaeblooms Excessive nutrientlevels canstimulate phytoplankton growth juvenile salmon. predators coulddirectly impactthehealthandsurvivalof distribution, habitatavailability, andthepresence ofnew assemblages withincoastalecosystems. Changesinprey the distributionandgrowth ofeelgrass bedsandalter species Broad-scale changesinseasurface temperature couldlimit Salinity Classes (Spring 2013) Total Dissolved Phosphorus Phosphorus Concentration Salinity Classes (Spring 2013) Sea Surface Temperature Sea Surface Temperature Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 0.1 mg/L 0.07 -0.1 mg/L < 0.07 mg/L Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt 8.6 -9.9°C 7.6 -8.6°C 6.4 -7.6°C abundant foodresources foundinthesehabitats. salmon dependsonsheltered, intactcoastalhabitatsaswell as riparian vegetation andeelgrass beds.Earlymarinesurvivalofwild damage oralter importantnearshore orestuarinehabitat,including Filling, diking,dredging, andinfrastructure development can salmon andaquaticvegetation. oxygen inthewater column,potentially harmingjuvenile in coastalecosystems. Thisconditioncandeplete dissolved and contribute tothedevelopment ofnoxious algaeblooms Excessive nutrientlevels canstimulate phytoplankton growth Salinity Classes (1996 -2000) Shoreline Development Shoreline &Nearshore Development Salinity Classes (Spring 2013) Nitrate Concentration Nitrate Concentration Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 50% 10 -50% < 10% Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 200mg/L < 200mg/L

16 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 17 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition estuarine habitat. both alter juvenile salmonbehavior andphysically disturb chemical contaminants) andincreased ambientnoisethat salmon throughdegraded water quality(fromreleases of High vessel traffic densitycanputincreased stress onjuvenile Marine Vessel Traffic Density-All Vessel Sizes (2010) Marine Vessel Traffic (All Vessel Sizes) (2010) Marine Vessel Traffic (Vessels >200m) habitat. alter juvenile salmonbehavior andphysically disturbestuarine chemical contaminants) andincreased ambientnoisethatboth salmon throughdegraded water quality(fromreleases of High vessel traffic densitycanputincreased stress onjuvenile Marine Vessel Traffic Density- Vessels >200m Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction 887.4 -1800.8 hrs 575.7 -887.4hrs 280.8 -575.7 hrs 102.4 -280.8 hrs 0 -102.4hrs Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction 65.3 -113.6hrs 21.3 -65.3hrs 6.8 -21.3hrs 2.0 -6.8hrs 0 -2.0 hrs disrupted bylocalorglobalperturbations. is regulated byarange ofenvironmental conditionsthatcould be primary productivity, asindicated bychlorophyll aconcentrations, prey resources, whichdependonprimaryproduction.Estuarine Early marinesurvivalofwildsalmonisdependentonabundant Salinity Classes (Spring 2013) Chlorophyll a Chlorophyll aConcentration -Direct Sampling an importantnearshore habitatforjuvenile salmon. permanent loss ofestuarineintertidal wetlands, whichare Local shoreline development canleadtotemporary or Intertidal Wetlands Extent Salinity Classes (2010 &Earlier) Intertidal Wetlands Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 20µg/L 5 -20µg/L < 5µg/L Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt < 10% 10 -50% > 50%

18 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 19 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition Salinity Classes (2003 -2006) Chlorophyll a disrupted bylocalorglobalperturbations. is regulated byarange ofenvironmental conditionsthatcouldbe primary productivity, asindicated bychlorophyll aconcentrations, prey resources, whichdependonprimaryproduction.Estuarine Early marinesurvivalofwildsalmonisdependentonabundant Chlorophyll aConcentration -Remote Sensing 1 plankton, aswell asoffer shelter from predators. salmon. Theycansupporthighbiodiversity offorage fishand Eelgrass bedsare animportantnearshore habitatforjuvenile Eelgrass, BCMCA–Eelgrass, WWF–Eelgrass Salinity Classes (1980, 2002-2003,2007 -2009, 2012) Known Eelgrass Beds Native Eelgrass Extent -Beds Multiple datasets,includingBorstad CASI Survey –Eelgrass, OceanEcology – Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt > 20µg/L 5 -20µg/L < 5µg/L Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Eelgrass bed Eelgrass bed 1 growth andsurvivalfor juvenile salmon. salmon. Damagetothesehabitatscouldresult inreduced Kelp bedsare animportantnearshore habitatforjuvenile Salinity Classes (2004) Known Kelp Bed Native Macroalgae Extent -Beds plankton, aswell asoffer shelter frompredators. salmon. Theycansupporthighbiodiversity offorage fishand Eelgrass bedsare animportantnearshore habitatforjuvenile Native Eelgrass Extent -Shoreline layer byOceanEcology thatisdetailedinOceanEcology (2014) Salinity Classes (2002 -2003&2007 -2009) 2 Shoreline Eelgrass Presence Multiple datasets,includingBCShorezone BiobandMapping andaderived Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Kelp bed Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Eelgrass 2

20 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 21 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition growth andsurvivalforjuvenile salmon. salmon. Damagetothesehabitatscouldresult inreduced Kelp bedsare animportantnearshore habitatforjuvenile 1 Foreshore HabitatClassification Salinity Classes (1997, 1999-2000&2010) Native Macroalgae Extent -Shoreline Zooplankton DensityorDiversity Salinity Classes (1972 &1974) Zooplankton perm Shoreline Kelp Presence can affect zooplankton availability. zooplankton, ortheloss ofeelgrass andintertidal wetlands Changes inprimaryproductivity, theintroductionofinvasive Zooplankton are akey foodresource forjuvenile salmon. Multiple datasets,includingBCShorezone BiobandMapping andPRHarbour Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Kelp Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt 28.50 -132.47 12.73 -28.50 1.38 -12.73 3 1 reduce abundanceofjuvenile salmon. distribution ofmarinemammalscanincrease mortalityand such asmarinemammals.Highabundanceandchangesin Juvenile salmonare consumed byvariousnatural predators Salinity Classes (1966 -1998) Harbour SealHaulouts Marine MammalDistributionorAbundance Salinity Classes (2012) Riparian Vegetation Intact RiparianVegetation Extent from predators. for juvenile salmonandalsoprovides shadingandcoverage Marine riparianvegetation isanimportantsource ofinsectprey Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt Haulout Skeena Estuary Prince RupertPort Authority Jurisdiction > 30ppt 26 -30ppt 18 -26ppt 12 -18ppt < 12ppt < 10% 10 -50% > 50%

22 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The 23 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition salmon, we willbeabletoidentifystrategies thatconserve andprotect highvaluesalmonhabitatsandminimize risksto wildsalmon. changes inthestatusofestuary. By advancingourscientificunderstanding oftheSkeena River estuaryin relation tojuvenile Moving forward, substantial resources will berequired tosupport local efforts to collect, store, and disseminate new data, and assess Assessment: Technical Report (Pickard etal.2015). of key salmon food. A full description of each monitoring activity and proposed methodology is available in and abundanceofjuvenile salmon,(2)growth andconditionofjuvenile salmon,(3)extent ofeelgrass, and(4)densitydiversity indicators. Based on our assessment, we recommend that future monitoring efforts address the following datagaps: (1) distribution Our assessment oftheSkeena River estuaryrevealed considerable gapsininformationanddatalimitationsacross many oftheestuary Data Gaps&MonitoringPriorities Photo Credit : Tavish Campbell Photo Credit :Grant Callegari Skeena River Estuary Recommended MonitoringActivities and diversity oftheavailable foodsources forjuvenile salmon. Sampling theupperpartof water columnisacommonway tomeasure thedensity are importantforpredicting thegrowth andearlymarinesurvival ofjuvenile salmon. determine theavailability offood,primarily zooplanktonprey, during thisearlylife phase are often inbetter conditionandare less vulnerable to predators. Field studies thathelp can determine whetheritsurvives toreturn tofresh water andreproduce. Bigger salmon During their time in the estuary, a juvenile salmon’s ability to locate food and grow quickly Density andDiversity ofKey SalmonFood to track changes inthequalityanddistributionofeelgrass over time. be followed upwithperiodicfieldsamplingtoupdate mapsofeelgrass extent as well as methods where practical, such as aerial photography or dive surveys. This census should salmon. We recommend using primarily sidescan sonar and supplementing with other help improve ourunderstanding ofthespatialextent ofthisimportanthabitatforjuvenile Mapping thedistributionofeelgrass beds,through acomprehensive one-timecensus,will Extent ofEelgrass during thisimportantlife-history stage. illuminate theimportance oftheestuaryininfluencingsalmongrowth andbodycondition food beingeaten bydifferent speciesofjuvenile salmon.Together, thesemetricscanhelp just priortocapture. Analyzing stomachcontents candetermine thetypeandqualityof entire residence intheestuary, whiletissue samplescangenerate asnapshot ofgrowth can usescalesandotolithstoestimate average growth rates ofjuvenile salmonduringtheir salmon, we canbetter understand theirgrowth andbodyconditionacross theestuary. We By collectingscales, otoliths,tissue samples,andstomachcontent samplesfromjuvenile Growth andCondition ofJuvenile Salmon early marinesurvival. estuarine habitatswillalsohelpusunderstand how particularhabitatsmayinfluencetheir important duringthisearlylife stage. Determining how longsalmonspendindifferent many individualsthere are, we canbetter identifyareas intheestuarythatare critically By improving ourunderstanding ofwhere juvenile salmonspendtheir time, andhow to evaluate thedistributionandabundanceofjuvenile salmonthroughouttheestuary. Field-based studiesconsistingoftrawl andbeachseinesurveys canbeanefficientway Distribution andAbundanceofJuvenile Salmon Photo Credits 1,2&3:Tavish Campbell |Photo Credit 4:Brendan Connors 2 3 4 1

24 The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition and Status Current of Snapshot A - Estuary River Skeena The Acknowledgments

The Pacifi c Salmon Foundation would like to thank the numerous individuals who contributed their time and expertise to this project by providing data, feedback, knowledge of the Skeena estuary, and technical support. This project would not have been possible without their contributions and collaboration. Thank you to ESSA Technologies Ltd., who were the principal technical contributors to this project. ESSA led the development of project methodology, undertook the technical analysis, and reported on project results. Special acknowledgment also goes Ocean Ecology for their technical work on this project.

This project was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

This project was undertaken with the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada.

Ce projet a été réalisé avec l'appui fi nancier du gouvernement du Canada. The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition

For more information about this project, please see the full technical report: Pickard, D., M. Porter, E. Olson, B. Connors, K. Kellock, E. Jones, and K. Connors. 2015. Skeena River Estuary Assessment: Technical Report. Pacifi c Salmon Foundation, Vancouver, BC.

Citation: Pacifi c Salmon Foundation. 2015. The Skeena River Estuary – A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition. Vancouver, BC.

Photo Credit : Paul Colangelo The Skeena River Estuary - A Snapshot of Current Status and Condition Estuary - A Snapshot of Current River The Skeena

25 26 2015

Cover & Back Photo Credit : Brian Huntington