Pe VIH J 1 FRI UW 7729 September 1977 Lasered CEO 1 J THE NEARSHORE FISH AND CROINVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES ALONG J STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA INCLUDING FOOD HABITS OF NEARSHORE FISH 10 1 J by J 1 Charles A Simenstad Bruce S Miller Jeffrey N Cross Kurt L Fresh S and Julianne C Fegley 1 Nancy Steinfort J I J ANNUAL REPORT Contract No 03 6 022 35185 NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION J J I FRI UW 7729 September 1977 I FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE College of Fisheries I University of Washington Seattle Washington 98195 I I I ASSEMBLAGES ALONG THE NEARSHORE FISH AND MACROINVERTEBRATE FISH I STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA INCLUDING FOOD HABITS OF NEARSHORE I by I Miller I Charles A Simenstad Bruce S L Fresh Jeffry N Cross Kurt and Julianne C Fegley I S Nancy Steinfort I I ANNUAL REPORT Contract No 03 6 022 35185 AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION I NATIONAL OCEANIC I I Approved I 16 1977 Submitted September I RRobert L Burgner Dip7cctor I I I CONTENTS I Page 1 I INTRODUCTION 2 I II MATERIALS AND HETHODS 2 II A Study Sites and Sampling Frequency 2 I II B Sampling Techniques 2 II B l Beach Seine II B 2 To vnet 5 6 I Il B 3 Macroinvertebrate Cataloguing 7 II C Collection Information 7 I II D Biological Information 8 II E Processing the Catches 8 II F Sources of Sampling Error 10 II G Disposition of Data I 10 II H Trophic Diagrams 11 I III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 11 III A Oceanographic Conditions 11 I III B Species Richness 11 III B l Beach Seine 13 III B 2 Townet I 16 III C Density 16 III C l Beach Seine 19 I III C 2 Townet 21 I III D Standing Crop 21 III D l Beach Seine 22 III D 2 Townet I 25 III E Dominant Nearshore Fish Species 25 III E l Beach Seine 26 I III E 2 Townet 27 III F Assemblages Species 28 I III G Macroinvertebrates I I ii I I I Page 28 III G 1 Species Composition 28 III G l Species Composition 29 I III G 2 Species Richness 29 III G 3 Abundance and Standing Crop 29 III 4 Size of Dominant Species I G Frequencies III H Nearshore Fish Food Heb 29 III H 1 Overall Prey Composition 36 I 36 III H 2 Species Specific Prey Spectra 36 Squalus acanthias Spiny Dogfish I Raja binoculata Big Skate 36 Raja abyssicola 37 37 Raja stellulata Starry Skate I Clupea harengus pallasi Pacific Herring 37 Engraulis mordax Northern Anchovy 40 40 Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus keta Chum Salmon 42 I Oncorhynchus kisutch Coho Salmon 42 42 Oncqrhynchus tshcMytscha Chinook Salmon Salmo gairdneri Rainbow Stee1head Trout 43 3 I Hypomesus pretiosus Surf Smelt Spirinchus thaleichthys Longfin Smelt 43 46 Porichthys notatus P1ainfin Midshipman Gobiesox maeandricus Northern C1ingfish 46 I 46 Gadus macrocephalus Pacific Cod 46 Microgadus proximus Pacific Tomcod 47 Theragra chalcogramma Walleye Pollock 47 I Gasterosteus aculeatus Threespine Stickleback 51 Aulorhynchus flavidus Tube snout Pipefish 51 Syngnathus griseolineatus Bay Rockfish 51 I Sebastes sp Post1arva1 51 stelleri Whitespotted Greenling Hexagrammos 54 Lingcod Ophiodon elongatus 54 Artedius fenestralis Padded Sculpin I 54 rhodorus Rosy1ip Sculpin Ascelichthys 55 cirrhosus Si1verspotted Sculpin Blepsias 55 Clinocottus acuticeps Sharpnose Sculpin I Buffalo 55 Enophrys bison Sculpin Sculpin 57 Leptocottus armatus Staghorn Great Sculpin 59 MyoxocephaZus poZyacanthocephaZus 59 I marmoratus Cabezon Scorpaenichthys 59 Chitonotus pugettensis Roughback Sculpin Poacher 62 Ocella verrucosa Warty Poacher 62 PaZZasina barbata Tubenose I 62 Sturgeon Poacher Agonus acipenserinus 64 Spotted Snai1fish Liparis caZlyodon 64 Ribbon Snai1fish Liparis cyclopus 64 I Liparis florae Tidepoo1 Snai1fish Snai1fish 64 Liparis mucosus Slimy I Hi I I I Page Liparis puZcheZZus Showy Snai1fish 64 65 I Cymatogaster aggregata Shiner Perch Embiotoca ZateraZis Striped Surfperch 65 RhacochiZus vacca Pile Perch 67 I Amphistichus rhodorus Redtai1 Surfperch 67 Trichodon trichodon Pacific Sandfish 69 69 Lumpenus sagitta Snake Prick1eback Apodichthys fZavidus Penpoint Gunnel 69 I PhoZis Zaeta Crescent Gunnel 71 PhoZis ornata Sadd1eback Gunnel 71 Ammodytes hexapterus Pacific Sand Lance 71 I Citharichthys stigmaeus Speckled Sanddab 72 72 Citharichthys sordidus Pacific Sanddab 72 Eopsetta jordani Petra1e Sole I Lepidopsetta biZineata Rock Sole 72 74 Parophrys vetuZus English Sole 74 PZatichthys stellatus Starry Flounder 78 PZeuronichthys coenosus c o Sole I 78 psettichthys meZanostictus Sand Sole 79 III H 3 Functional Feeding Groups 79 I III H 4 Habitat Site Differences 85 I IV CONCLUSIONS 85 IV A Nearshore Fish Assemblages 86 IV B Associated Hacroinvertebrates 87 IV C Nearshore Food Web Structure I 89 IV D Contributions to Knowledge 89 IV E Recommendations 91 I V REFERENCES 94 APPENDIX 1 o 109 I APPENDIX 2 113 APPENDIX 3 117 APPENDIX 4 121 APPENDIX 5 I 127 APPENDIX 6 131 APPENDIX 7 147 APPENDIX 8 152 I APPENDIX 9 I I I iv I I I LIST OF TABLES Page I Numb er the Strait of 1 Characterization of study sites along 4 TN townet Juan de Fuca BS beach seine I 2 Total number of macroinvertebrate species collected according to general taxonomic grouping sites during nearshore fish sampling at seven I the Strait of Juan de Fuca May 1976 along 30 J anua ry 197 7 collected I 3 Number of macroinvertebrate species fish at seasonally during nearshore sampling of Juan de Fuca seven sites along the Strait beach seine May 1976 January 1977 BS I 31 TN townet NS no sampling stomach contents 4 Nearshore fishes analyzed for 1977 32 I Strait of Juan de Fuca July 1976 January of 5 Dominant prey items by seasons juvenile Strait of Pacific herring caught by townet in I 39 Juan de Fuca May 1976 January 1977 seasons of pink 6 Dominant prey items by juvenile I Juan de salmon townet in Strait of caught by 41 Fuca August and October 1976 surf smelt I 7 Dominant prey items of captured by Juan de Fuca townet and beach seine in Strait of 45 I May 1976 January 1977 Pacific tomcod 8 Dominant prey items of captured by Juan de Fuca beach seine and townet in Strait of 48 I May 1976 January 1977 season of Pacific tomcod 9 Dominant prey items by beach seine in Strait of Juan de captured by 49 1977 I Fuca October 1976 January 10 Dominant prey items of tubesnouts captured by Juan de Fuca townet and beach seine in Strait of I 53 May 1976 January 1977 season of 11 Dominant prey items by si1verspotted de I by beach seine in Strait of Juan sculpin caught 56 1977 Fuca August 1976 and January season of Pacific I 12 Dominant prey items by staghorn beach seine in the Strait of sculpin caught by 60 1976 January 1977 I Juan de Fuca May v I I I Page Number beach 13 Dominant prey items of shiner perch caught by Juan Fuca I seine and townet in the Strait of de 66 May 1976 January 1977 season of redtail I 14 Dominant prey items by surfperch beach seine in the Strait of Juan de captured by 70 Fuca 1976 January 1977 I August season of sole 15 Dominant prey items by English in Strait captured by beach seine and townet the 75 I of Juan de Fuca May 1976 January 1977 season of sand sole 16 Dominant prey items by captured of Juan de Fuca by beach seine in the Strait c 80 I May 1976 January 1977 of nearshore 17 Feeding classifications of sixty species fish examined from collections in the Strait of I 81 Juan de Fuca May 1976 January 1977 I I I I I I I I I I vi I I I LIST OF FIGURES Page I Number sites of used 1 Location map of sampling Type gear 3 indicates beach seine I indicates townet 0 of of nearshore 2 Species richness number species B fish for western sites A and eastern sites in the from beach seine collections I quarterly 12 Strait of Juan de Fuca seine at Total number of caught by beach 3 species 14 I each site throughout the first sampling year of of nearshore 4 Species richness number species sites B I fish for western sites A and eastern in Strait from to vnet collections the quarterly 15 of Juan de Fuca I the townet 5 Total number of caught by species 17 the first year at each sit throughout sampling fish for I 6 Mean density fish m2 of nearshore B from western sites A and eastern sites of beach seine collections in the Strait quarterly 18 I Juan de Fuca of nearshore fish for 7 Mean density fish m3 B from western sites A and eastern sites I in the Strait of townet collections q arterly 20 Juan de Fuca of nearshore I 8 Mean standing crop grams m2 sites B fish for western sites A and eastern in the from beach seine collections quarterly 23 I Strait of Juan de Fuca of nearshore fish for 9 Mean standing crop grams m3 B from western sites A and eastern sites quar I in of townet collections the Strait terly 24 Juan de Fuca for Pacific I 10 Composite I R I prey spectrum juvenile Fuca herring in Strait of Juan de May 1976 38 I January 1977 for juvenile pink 11 Composite I R I prey spectrum Fuca salmon in Strait of Juan de May 1976 38 I January 1977 I vii I I Page I Number for surf smelt 12 Composite I R I prey spectrum Fuca 1976 I in Strait of Juan de May 44 January 1977 for Pacific tomcod in 13 Composite I R I prey spectrum I 1977 44 Strait of Juan de Fuca illy 1976 January for 14 Composite I R I prey spectrum juvenile Fuca I in Strait of Juan de walleye pollock 50 May 1976 January 1977 for tubesnout in I 15 Composite I R I prey spectrum 1977 52 Strait of Juan de Fuca May 1976 January for sculpin 16 Composite I R I prey spectrum padded I 1977 52 in Strait of Juan de Fuca May 1976 January of 17 Composite I R I prey spectra si1verspotted Fuca 1976 I in Strait of Juan de May sculpin 58 January 1977 of Pacific staghorn I 18 Composite I R I prey spectra 1976 in Strait of Juan de Fuca May sculpin 58 January 1977 I of in prey spectrum roughback sculpin 19 Composite 63 1976 January 1977 the