Working with the K’ómoks Nation towards Q’waq’wala7owkw on their unceded territory.
Working with the K’ómoks Nation towards Q’waq’wala7owkw on their unceded territory.
Over the summer the Project Watershed Forage Fish Monitoring Team have been busy with data analysis, project planning, collaborating with the Coastal Forage Fish Network and field sampling in the Comox Valley and Campbell River area. To date we have had 21 volunteers contribute 97.5 hours to our forage fish monitoring efforts!
Our organization is looking for an enthusiastic environmental technician to help us facilitate our forage fish project. The ideal candidate will have a background in ecology/biology and have experience working outside in the field. This position will work closely with our Forage Fish Project Lead Biologist and the forage fish team to meet our grant requirements. This is a seasonal contract position.
Our organization is looking for an enthusiastic biologist to help us facilitate and manage our forage fish project. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in marine ecology/biology, as well as restoration. This position is a 1-year contract to cover a leave.
This year marks the 5th year of a partnership between Comox Valley Project Watershed Society and North Island College on a long-term study to examine intertidal spawning habitats of forage fish in the northern Salish Sea.
Forage fish sampling is starting back up again in May!
The forage fish team has been busy planning the Coastal Forage Fish Network Symposium. Hosted on Zoom, this event brings together researchers, experts and community citizen science volunteers to share research highlights from across Vancouver Island and beyond.
Project Watershed is very excited to announce the award of $1.4 million dollars of funding from the BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund to support our forage fish research, monitoring and restoration!
As you may know, Project Watershed has been researching forage fish and their habitats for many years now. To date our work has focused on beach spawning forage fish, specifically Pacific sand lance and surf smelt.
December 8th was the first annual Pacific Sand Lance Day!
These skinny forage fish are understudied and important to our coastal ecosystem. Sand lance have over 100 known predators, and are particularly important to nesting sea birds. This eclectic fish buries into sandy sea beds, hibernates all winter, and spawns on beaches!
Pacific sandlance eggs ~ Aaron SchmidtBeach survery ~ Tom GrimmerSand sample under microscope ~ Aaron Schmidt Our winter Pacific sand lance season was kicked off with eggs being found on Cortes Island on November 6! Later in the month eggs were found at Shingle Spit...
The weather is looking like fall and with the brief skiff of snow recently Project Watershed staff are beginning to look to the winter forage fish season.
Project Watershed’s Forage Fish team is coming to Tofino to share our research. Join us for a lecture on the importance of forage fish, their biology, ecology, and our west coast project plans to map this ecologically important habitat.