Forage Fish Feature – Fall 2025

Sun, sand, and… fish eggs? There’s more going on at the beach than meets the eye! Unlike most fish, surf smelt and Pacific sand lance lay their eggs right on sandy beaches. These forage fish need just the right sand and gravel mix to spawn successfully — a reminder that even our beach sediments are part of the web of life. At Project Watershed, our forage fish team is dedicated to research and restoration that benefits local forage fish species to support the marine food web.  

What have we been up to recently? 

Over the past year, my team and I have explored new ways to find hidden forage fish nurseries. Early on, we analysed a variety of data sets and our results showed that the ShoreZone database compiled by SeaChange, is a valuable tool for predicting nursery habitat (more information at Nurturing the Energy Bars of the Sea). We also noticed an interesting pattern when digging into the data collected between 2019 to 2024 – Pacific sand lance tend to spawn when water and air temperatures sit between 5 and 7°C, with the greatest number of eggs appearing in December.  

Over the summer, we had our boots on the beach to survey for surf smelt eggs on beaches in the Comox Valley and Campbell River.  We were supported by 23 community science volunteers and staff and students from North Island College who monitored at Tyee Spit, Frank James Park, Oyster Bay Shoreline Park, Goose Spit, Balmoral Beach, Point Holmes, and Curtis Beach. While no eggs were found this season, which is typical for this area, these results still provide valuable insights for our conservation efforts.  

Our summer work was a true community effort with over 75 volunteer hours being contributed. Thank you to everyone who lent their time, energy, and curiosity to help us learn more about our coastal ecosystems! 

In addition to fieldwork, we hosted a volunteer training event on Quadra Island and a special “Train the Trainer” workshop to help prepare new community leaders for the upcoming fall and winter sampling sessions. 

There were also some exciting developments with the Coastal Forage Fish Network, of which Project Watershed is a founding member. The network unveiled a new logo and website and continued refining the Strait of Georgia dataset with support from the Pacific Salmon Foundation. These updates help strengthen collaboration and data sharing across the region, ensuring that the network’s collective work continues to grow in both scope and impact. 

What’s happening next? 

As fall settles in, our team is gearing up for the 2025–2026 beach sampling season for Pacific sand lance eggs! This year brings some exciting new changes. We’re introducing Community Team Leaders in both the Comox Valley and Campbell River, who will be working directly with volunteers to carry out sampling, sieving, and microscope work. This new model will help strengthen local leadership and make coordination smoother across all our sampling sites. 

The Fall–Winter Beach Sampling dates are now available. Each sampling day will require four to six volunteers, so we encourage anyone interested to sign up using our new Forage Fish Volunteer Calendar – Project Watershed.  

In addition to visual monitoring, our team will be coordinating West Coast Vancouver Island eDNA sampling across both tidal and underwater zones. Data collected through this sampling will support model refinement, predictive habitat mapping for forage fish distributions, and guide future restoration site selection.  

We are also excited to be implementing a forage fish focused shoreline restoration project at Nymph Point Park in collaboration with Peninsula Streams Society . Restoration works will include erosion protection, riparian planting, and improving public access. If the necessary permits are approved in time, we will also be supplementing the beach with suitable spawning sediment 

Finally, we’re still looking for “Hello Fresh” boxes, dry or defrosted ice packs, and packaging to help with sample storage — just no styrofoam boxes, please! Boxes can be dropped off at 2356a Rosewall Cresent between 10am and 3pm Monday to Thursday. These small contributions go a long way in keeping our fieldwork efficient and sustainable. 

Together, with the help of our amazing volunteers and partners, we’re continuing to uncover the hidden stories of our local beaches and the remarkable little fish that use them as nurseries.