Working on the unceded territory of the K’ómoks First Nation .

Working with the K’ómoks Nation towards Q’waq’wala7owkw on their unceded territory.

Blue Carbon Fact Sheet

Blue Carbon

Download the Fact Sheet

Efforts in Blue Carbon, Sea Grass, Kelp, and Salt Marsh Restoration Blue Carbon and Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest.

Blue Carbon refers to the long-term storage of carbon in sediments underlying marine and aquatic plants. The sea grass/eelgrass (Zostera marina) and salt marsh habitats are known to sequester and store carbon at very high levels compared to vegetation on land. The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society has developed a community-based protocol to allow coastal organizations in the Salish Sea to assess and identify Blue

Carbon opportunities in their local estuary. We developed a method to map eelgrass and salt marsh with minimal technical expertise yet provide very accurate results.

We hypothesized that carbon sequestration is influenced by local geography and hydrology so that different areas of the estuary sequesters carbon at different rates and much of the carbon associated with eelgrass plant material is carried out of the estuary and deposited elsewhere. These factors should be considered when selecting an area to carry out Blue Carbon projects and eelgrass habitat restoration.

Empirical observations suggest that during storms and heavy wave action sloughed eelgrass may become buried under sand/silt above the high tide line, and hydrological assessments and observations on secluded shorelines have revealed major dumps of eelgrass detritus. We have initiated a pilot study sampling sediments from shoreline and other areas in the estuary to assess sea grass DNA distribution. We tested for the presence of a Z. marina DNA signature in shoreline sediments and core samples taken from various areas.

Human Resources

Related Posts

Eelgrass and Kelp Feature – Spring 2025 

Spring is nearing its end and just like on land, this time of year is peak growth season for marine plants. With support from the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund, Project Watershed has been working on two projects to restore eelgrass habitat in Fanny Bay and kelp habitat near Cape Lazo.

Spring Invasives Removal at Kus-kus-sum

We are looking for volunteers to assist us with our first weeding event of the spring at Kus-kus-sum to keep the invasives at bay and help our native plants flourish!

Education Program Feature – Spring 2025

Over the last eight years, Project Watershed has been developing and running our Keeping It Living Education Program to educate youth about their environment and connect them with its stewardship.

Forage Fish Symposium and CFFN AGM

The Coastal Forage Fish Network is hosting their Annual Spring symposium via zoom on April 23, 2025, from 6:00-8:00 pm. It will be followed by an AGM. This gathering brings together researchers, experts and community science volunteers to share forage fish research highlights and from across Vancouver Island and beyond.