Fall and Winter Forage Fish Sampling

Dates

All our Forage Fish sampling volunteer spots have been filled for the season. Please check our volunteer page in the spring for more forage fish activities.

Thanks to all our enthusiastic volunteers who supported us this season – you make a difference in the Comox Valley and beyond! We appreciate your time and effort: please don’t forget to log your volunteer hours.

Locations*

Campbell River – Oyster Bay Shoreline Park and Frank James Park

Comox Valley – Air Force Beach, Goose Spit and Kye Bay (Surf Smelt Day only)

*Note: sampling locations subject to change this winter

Description

Volunteers will participate in community science by sampling beaches for beach spawning forage fish. We then process the sample down from a 4L container to an approximate 500mL container using a gold panning process referred to as sieving and vortexing.

These smaller samples are investigated under a microscope to look for the eggs of surf smelt (summer) and Pacific sand lance and surf smelt (winter). Project Watershed is part of the Coastal Forage Fish Network. This network is engaged in citizen science, research and advocacy across Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and along the beaches of Vancouver. Project Watershed has been involved with this project since the fall of 2019 and we have discovered some important beaches for beach spawning forage fish. This work is supported by funds from the BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF).

We made a map showing sampling locations from previous seasons and where we found eggs. You can check it out here!

Volunteer Sign Up