An Assessment of Zooplankton Diversity and Abundance as they Relate to Juvenile Salmon Across Clayoquot Sound

Project Description

Salmon are of great importance to many Indigenous communities, not to mention their broad-scale ecological and commercial value. However, many wild salmon populations have been in precipitous decline. This decline is likely caused by a host of interconnected factors, not all of which are adequately understood. My project is positioned to look at one of these factors - food availability and diversity for juvenile salmon in estuaries. For this, I analyzed the abundance of the plankton communities in four salmon-bearing estuaries on the West Coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI): Kennedy, Tranquil, Bedwell, and Moyeha. Juvenile salmon in estuaries feed on some of these plankton along with insects, so it is beneficial to determine the quantity of available prey.

I am grateful to have conducted this research in partnership with Ha’oom Fisheries Society, an organization that supports and facilitates the rights-based fisheries of the “Five Nations”: Ahousaht, Ehattesaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Hesquiaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations. Ha’oom was founded in response to a lengthy court case to affirm these Nations’ fishing rights. My work was situated within a larger Ha’oom project that aims to assess the productivity of WCVI Chinook and sockeye salmon in the Kennedy Watershed. This research is providing data to inform management decisions, helping to uphold the Five Nations’ traditional ties to these important fish.

Click Here to learn more about the Five Nations court case.

This project acted to fulfill the B.Sc. Honour’s Thesis requirements of Colton Van Der Minne.