toxic sediments, and fil- Conservancy protect en- habitats, winning the prestigious MSH ter-feeding organisms like tire watersheds, maxi- international Ramsar Wetland Con- A clams concentrate toxic mizing protection for the servation Award. British Columbians ECOSYSTEBRITIS chemicals in their bodies. estuary’s terrestrial and can participate in these efforts by I N Invasive alien plants and freshwater component. supporting the creation of new COLUMBI animals are another threat Fiordland Recreation Area, estuary parks and by volunteering to British Columbia’s es- north of Bella Bella, con- with or donating to conserv- T RISK tuaries. Eurasian wetland tains three significant es- ation organizations (on the PECP A plants such as creeping tuaries and two smaller website) that buy estuary land as migrating shorebirds in light skwquilz stuary situated on over boundary bay stuary. the north sd of dean channel, bentgrass, English cord- ones. Numerous smaller part of the PECP. R. Butler photo deep coastal jord. grass, and purple loose- estuaries are provided pro- The PECP also works with land- W.M. Mackenzie photo strife are becoming more tection in conservancy ar- owners to enhance stewardship of prevalent and efforts are eas such as Hakai Luxvbalis estuaries on private land. Good stew- underway to prevent them Conservancy Area and ardship of estuaries includes timing from growing out of con- offshore sland protecs kwatna river stuary from British Columbia’s system activities so as not to disturb mig- ceanic forcs. W.M. Mackenzie photo trol and displacing native of provincial marine parks. ratory birds, maintaining good water wetland species. Exotic marine ani- rising sea could mean complete disap- The Fisheries Act of Canada and quality while juvenile salmon are in mals, such as the green crab, are pearance for an estuary and its wildlife. the Fish Protection Act of British the estuary; leaving the estuary bot- also being introduced, often through Columbia provide strong legal protec- tom intact as much as possible; and the release of ballast water from What is their tion for fish habitat, providing addi- leaving the intertidal wetlands in a lwering eelgrass provids habi- road, logpl, and abandoned mate- tat for diatoms and bubbl shell. rials are artificial structures ocean-going ships. This is such a seri- conservation status? tional avenues to protect freshwater natural state as much as possible. Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. photo commonly found on stuarine ous problem that the Port of t is estimated that there are 434 flow to estuary ecosystems of fish- These practices can be incorporated meadws and marshes. Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory: Sunshine Coast Vancouver now requires all ships to estuaries, large and small, occupy- bearing streams and rivers. in a conservation covenant so that and Adjacent Islands exchange their ballast water in the ing approximately 75 000 hectares Despite this variety of protections, future owners will abide by them open ocean in an attempt to prevent Ion British Columbia’s coastline, and past land use practices, global influ- and, depending on location, there Pacific Estuary Conservation Program partners: any more invasive species from reach- there is a need for greater protection. ences on climate, and alien spe- may be associated tax benefits or http://www.bc.ducks.ca/province/bc/partners/pecp/index.html Estuaries ing our shores. There are proposals for parks in cies introductions mean British other incentives. The long-term stability of British the Nass and Skeena estuaries, and Columbia’s estuaries are at risk. Every The best way to start protecting Columbia’s estuaries can be affected significant portions of what re- estuary wetland vegetation type in estuaries, however, is the simplest. in British by the damming of rivers and Invasive mains of the Fraser British Columbia is red-listed (endan- Visit a local estuary and get to know by climate change. Dams can estuary have been gered) or blue-listed (special concern). the local flora and fauna. Take along Columbia cut off the supply of nutrient- alien plants designated as pro- Naturally rare and subject to multiple this brochure and see if you can spot rich sediment to the estuary, sig- and animals vincial Wildlife threats in both urban and wilderness all the elements of estuary ecology Estuaries are nificantly reducing productivity, Management Areas areas, these tiny jewels in British described here. Join a natural history and they can interfere with the are another where human activ- Columbia’s coastline will require both society or take a guided walk with a spcs d csyss at sk, cc: naturally rare, river’s natural flooding cycle. threat to ities must accom- protection and stewardship if they park naturalist to find out more BC Conservation Data Centre Some migratory species of birds modate wildlife are to last. about the importance of estuaries Ministry of Environment comprising only and fish time their arrival at an British habitat require- to both the local ecology and econ- PO Box 9338, Stn. Prov. Govt., Victoria, British Columbia V8W 9M2 2.3 percent of estuary to coincide with the Columbia’s ments. Some re- How can we protect them? omy. Getting to know and appreci- http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cdc/ river’s peak flows, which are also gionally important n 1987, governmental and non-gov- ate the contributions estuaries c d pdd y British Columbia’s times of peak estuary produc- estuaries. estuaries, such as ernmental conservation agencies make to British Columbia’s bio- tivity. Disrupting these flows may the Nanaimo and joined together to form the Pacific logical, cultural, and economic rugged coastline disrupt the timing of these migrations, Englishman river estuaries, have IEstuary Conservation Program health is the greatest incentive to with unpredictable consequences. partial protection through parks (PECP). The goal of the PECP is to maintain these precious ecosystems Global climate change has been as- and private conservation land trusts. protect British Columbia’s estuaries by into the future. sessed as a moderate risk to a rise in Dala-Kildala Rivers Estuaries creating parks for estuaries on public sea level along British Columbia’s Provincial Park, near Kitimat, was lands, buying private land in estuar- coastline. For estuaries that are created specifically to protect estu- ies, and encouraging stewardship. The isn 0-7726-7723-9 tet s ly, c cd and dp latow sandwiched between the ocean and aries. The Khutzeymateen Grizzly program has secured thousands of 2006 or riht cl s development or a steep shoreline, a Bear Sanctuary and Kitlope Heritage hectares of shoreline and intertidal desin , ls ds roject coordination by carmen cdrin Printed in British Columbia on recycled paper with vegetable inks during the lowest tides, is essentially a timeframe. Before deglaciation, more can survive in an estuary. chain, consume ben- beginning their ocean migration, Present range of Estuary fulness of estuaries also means that marine environment. As a result, there water was frozen in the polar ice caps, Those that do survive thic micro-organisms mak ing the Fraser the greatest salmon- Ecosystems in British Columbia few of the world’s estuaries have not is almost no plant life, but the rich sea level was lower, and river mouths have few competitors and in turn become food producing river on earth. Delkatla been modified by human activity and Estuary muddy river sediments are prime hab- were located on steep continental slopes and predators, and so for small, bottom-feed- On the central and northern main- Nass Estuary British Columbia is no exception. What are Estuaries? itat for bottom-dwelling worms and where estuaries could not form. During are able to grow and re- ing fish, which in turn land coasts most estuaries are located stuaries, formed where rivers enter mud-algae, important food sources deglaciation, glacial ice melted and produce quickly, mak- become food for higher at the heads of glacier-carved fjords. Why are estuaries at risk? the ocean and fresh water mixes for estuarine wildlife. transported sediments from their glacial ing estuaries among predators such as salm- Two notable exceptions to this are the Skeena Estuary stuaries are naturally rare, com- with the saltwater environment, are Below the low tide line are three source to the sea. Flowing waters from the most productive on, osprey, and humans. great Nass (6490 hectares) and Skeena prising only 2.3 percent of British Eamong the most productive ecosys- ecologically important zones: shallow steep uplands slowed as they approached ecosystems on earth. (12 576 hectares) river estuaries, both queen Columbia’s rugged coastline. tems on earth. They develop on deltas, subtidal, deep subtidal, and benthic the gentler slopes closer to sea level and There are several Where do they of which include about 2500 hectares charlotte Despite their high productivity, the islands E where fine soil materials (sediment), are (bottom zone). The shallow subtidal began to deposit their sediment. The reasons for this excep- occur? of wetlands. Estuaries on the Queen difficult conditions under which they carried hundreds of miles downstream zone extends to a few metres in depth, coarse sediments were the first to be tionally high produc- stuaries occur spor- Charlotte Islands are located mainly Fraser develop make them very vulnerable by the rivers and deposited on gentle where light can still reach the bottom, deposited while fine sediments travelled tivity. Estuaries are r a d i c a l l y a l o n g where rivers empty into large inlets, Estuary to disturbances. vancouver shoreline slopes. These materials accu- and eelgrass, the most common seagrass for long distances out to sea. Gradually constantly being ferti- British Columbia’s such as the Delkatla estuary in Masset island Seventy percent of the Fraser River mulate faster than they can be carried in British Columbia estuaries, forms these sediments accumulated to form a lized by river sediment.