June 1 Seine - top of page. June 19 - middle. June 30 - bottom.
Several studies are piggybacking together. Once a month, Bruce Brown and his team seines our beaches to do a salmon distribution study. Offset from those times, but also once a month, Russel Barsh seines with our group to do a salmon prey study. There are also herring and forage fish prey studies.
June 1, 2009 Beach Seines with Bruce Brown.
With Bruce Brown, Brandon, Kristin, Rick, and locals Susan T, Gretchen, Stan, and Julie.
The weather started out sunny with clouds and a very light breeze. By afternoon, it was hazy and warm with a brisk NE breeze.
The weather started out sunny with clouds and a very light breeze. By afternoon, it was hazy and warm with a brisk NE breeze.
June 1, 2009, Cowlitz: 2 pulls (#1 and #2) at 11:15 and noon. At water surface, 10.9º with 24.8 salinity. At 1 meter depth, 10.7º with 24.9 salinity
White-spotted Greenlings #1: 8, from 40 - 178 mm; #2: 7, from 63 - 190 mm.
Crescent Gunnel ..............#1: 1, at 93 mm #2: 1, at 110 mm.
Penpoint Gunnel.............. #1: 3, from 88 - 250 mm; #2: 3, from 121 - 128 mm.
Snake Gunnel ...................#1: 18, from 128 - 243 mm; #2: 3, from 141 - 268 mm. (Left photo below.)
Herring ...........................#1: 54, from 89 - 106 mm; #2: 23, from 95 - 114 mm.
Kelp Perch ......................#1: none or counted wrong; #2: 19, from 72 - 170 mm.
Shiner Perch ...................#1: none #2: 142, from 85 - 142 mm.
Striped Perch ..................#1: 4, from 76 - 140 mm; #2: 6, from 142 - 263 mm. (Middle photo.)
Rockfish spp ...................#1: 5, from 89 - 180 mm; #2:19, from 81 - 203 mm. (Right photo.)
Chinook Salmon ..............#1: 18, from 65 - 91 mm; #2: 28, from 60 - 81 mm.
Chum Salmon ..................#1: 443, from 46 - 79; #2: 280, no lengths taken.
Coho Salmon ..................#1: none; #2: 16, from 79 - 198 mm.
Pink Salmon ....................#1: 7, from 64 - 90 mm; #2: none
Sand Lance ......................#1: none #2: 12, from 87 - 122 mm.
Great Sculpin ..................#1: none #2: 6, from 93 - 154 mm.
Padded Sculpin ...............#1: 4, from 81 - 127 mm; #2: 3, from 90 - 101 mm.
Sharpnose Sculpin ..........#1: 3, from 51 - 57 mm; #2: 5, from 52 - 56 mm.
Silver Spotted Sculpin ....#1: 1, at 123 mm; #2: none
Barn Swallows around dock, 1 crow, 2 eagles.
June 1, 2009, Severson Bay: 1 pull at 13:34. At water surface, 13.0º with 24.6 salinity. At 1 meter depth, 10.8º with 25.2 salinity
Larval Flatfish: 55, from 13 - 35 mm.
Post-larval Flatfish: 1, at 29 mm.
Starry Flounder: 1, at 137 mm.
Greenling spp: 1 at 61 mm.
Sand Lance: 6, from 51 - 118 mm.
Chinook Salmon: 2, 60 and 92 mm.
Chum Salmon: 23, from 29 - 64 mm.
Great Sculpin, 3, from 25 - 38 mm.
Staghorn Sculpin: 1, at 159 mm.
English Sole: 11, from 34 - 92 mm.
5 Dungeness Crabs and lots of ctenophores in net. Three distant gulls on the water.
Post-larval Flatfish: 1, at 29 mm.
Starry Flounder: 1, at 137 mm.
Greenling spp: 1 at 61 mm.
Sand Lance: 6, from 51 - 118 mm.
Chinook Salmon: 2, 60 and 92 mm.
Chum Salmon: 23, from 29 - 64 mm.
Great Sculpin, 3, from 25 - 38 mm.
Staghorn Sculpin: 1, at 159 mm.
English Sole: 11, from 34 - 92 mm.
5 Dungeness Crabs and lots of ctenophores in net. Three distant gulls on the water.
June 1, 2009, Zeo's Beach: 1 pull at 14:12. At water surface, 11.9º with 23.9 salinity. At 1 meter depth, 11.4º with 24.1 salinity
Crescent Gunnel: 3, from 56 - 61 mm.
Chinook Salmon: 1 at 69 mm.
Chum Salmon: 22, from 39 - 80 mm.
Coho Salmon: 9, from 85 - 122 mm. 1 hatchery coho with a wire tag in its nose.
Sand Lance, 2, at 56 and 106 mm.
Great Sculpin: 22, from 25 - 52 mm.
Sharpnose Sculpin: 6, from 51 - 65 mm.
Staghorn Sculpin: 2, at 29 and 56 mm. (Right photo below.)
Smelt: 3, from 126 - 143 mm.
Chinook Salmon: 1 at 69 mm.
Chum Salmon: 22, from 39 - 80 mm.
Coho Salmon: 9, from 85 - 122 mm. 1 hatchery coho with a wire tag in its nose.
Sand Lance, 2, at 56 and 106 mm.
Great Sculpin: 22, from 25 - 52 mm.
Sharpnose Sculpin: 6, from 51 - 65 mm.
Staghorn Sculpin: 2, at 29 and 56 mm. (Right photo below.)
Smelt: 3, from 126 - 143 mm.
June 1, 2009 Mail Bay: 1 pull at 14:53. At water surface, 13.3º with 22.9 salinity. At 1 meter depth, 12.8º with 23.2 salinity
Larval Flatfish: 1482, at 26 - 46 mm.
Greenling spp: 1, at 61 mm.
Shiner Perch: 68, at 73 - 115 mm.
Chinook Salmon: 19, at 45 - 80 mm.
Chum Salmon: 24, at 41 - 55 mm.
Coho Salmon: 1, at 112 mm.
Sand Lance: 3, at 104 - 109 mm.
Sculpin spp: 1
Great Sculpin: 1, at 35 mm.
Staghorn Sculpin: 286, at 21 - 38 mm.
English Sole: 145, at 39 - 55 mm.
A Dungeness Crab was also in the net.
Greenling spp: 1, at 61 mm.
Shiner Perch: 68, at 73 - 115 mm.
Chinook Salmon: 19, at 45 - 80 mm.
Chum Salmon: 24, at 41 - 55 mm.
Coho Salmon: 1, at 112 mm.
Sand Lance: 3, at 104 - 109 mm.
Sculpin spp: 1
Great Sculpin: 1, at 35 mm.
Staghorn Sculpin: 286, at 21 - 38 mm.
English Sole: 145, at 39 - 55 mm.
A Dungeness Crab was also in the net.
June 19, 2009 Beach Seines with Russel Barsh.
With Russel Barsh and his team of 6 student interns and Audrey, a fish lavager; locals Fred & Donna, David & Julie, Ann-Gwen, Laurie, Glen, Gretchen & Stan. Because this study has different goals, no temperature or salinity were recorded.
The weather was cloudy with a light wind. By afternoon, several damp people had goosebumps.
The weather was cloudy with a light wind. By afternoon, several damp people had goosebumps.
June 19, 2009, Cowlitz Dock 12:30
Two pulls. Barsh's group lavaged the chum and chinook that were caught.
Glen R. (photo below) is working with Fred Felleman, who is deeply involved with the effort to have the Cherry Point herring population declared endangered. They want to know if our herring population is from Cherry Point. Glen put together a team of people who collected teeny weeny tissue samples from 20 herring tails. They will be preserved in ethanol. When funding is found, their DNA will be tested to see where they're from.
Fish caught at Cowlitz Dock:
a few flatfish, 80 mm
young adult Kelp Greenlings
100+ herring, all adult, approximately 110 mm long.
a few Pile Perch (aka Bronze Perch) and Shiner Perch.
<25 Snake Pricklebacks
50 - 75 rockfish, mainly Quillback Rockfish. They were all ages from 75 mm to full sized, with a few gravid females.
100+ sand lance, both juvenile and adults.
few Staghorn Sculpins, 80 - 200 mm.
2 Silverspot Sculpins ( See photo.)
Lots of chum, not so many chinook. These were lavaged (see photo, click to enlarge.) Preliminary results show that they might have been eating more sand lance than last year at this time. Last year, as far as we remember, they had been eating plankton and insects, because the sand lance weren't around to be eaten.
NO cod or smelt.
This was a typical June catch for this area.
Interestingly, this area used to be eelgrass, but is now partly colonized by the invasive sargassum. Aside from the kelp greenlings, other eelgrass associated fish such as tubesnouts or pipefish were not found here.
Glen R. (photo below) is working with Fred Felleman, who is deeply involved with the effort to have the Cherry Point herring population declared endangered. They want to know if our herring population is from Cherry Point. Glen put together a team of people who collected teeny weeny tissue samples from 20 herring tails. They will be preserved in ethanol. When funding is found, their DNA will be tested to see where they're from.
Fish caught at Cowlitz Dock:
a few flatfish, 80 mm
young adult Kelp Greenlings
100+ herring, all adult, approximately 110 mm long.
a few Pile Perch (aka Bronze Perch) and Shiner Perch.
<25 Snake Pricklebacks
50 - 75 rockfish, mainly Quillback Rockfish. They were all ages from 75 mm to full sized, with a few gravid females.
100+ sand lance, both juvenile and adults.
few Staghorn Sculpins, 80 - 200 mm.
2 Silverspot Sculpins ( See photo.)
Lots of chum, not so many chinook. These were lavaged (see photo, click to enlarge.) Preliminary results show that they might have been eating more sand lance than last year at this time. Last year, as far as we remember, they had been eating plankton and insects, because the sand lance weren't around to be eaten.
NO cod or smelt.
This was a typical June catch for this area.
Interestingly, this area used to be eelgrass, but is now partly colonized by the invasive sargassum. Aside from the kelp greenlings, other eelgrass associated fish such as tubesnouts or pipefish were not found here.
June 19, 2009, Zeo's Beach, 14:30
One pull. This time, not only were the chinook and chum lavaged, but also cod to see if they compete with the salmon for prey. I think the greenlings were lavaged, too (please email me if you know).
60+ Pacific Cod, 80 - 110 mm. (see photo) 8 (or more) were lavaged and their stomach contents collected into a single vial.
a few Shiner and Pile Perch
a few White-spotted Greenlings
a few Crescent Gunnels (see photo).
15 Chum Salmon, from 59 - 89 mm. They were all lavaged and their stomach contents collected in individual vials.
7 Chinook Salmon, from 87 -118 mm. They were all lavaged like the chum. Also, anal fins were clipped for DNA testing.
dogfish, see photo below.
60+ Pacific Cod, 80 - 110 mm. (see photo) 8 (or more) were lavaged and their stomach contents collected into a single vial.
a few Shiner and Pile Perch
a few White-spotted Greenlings
a few Crescent Gunnels (see photo).
15 Chum Salmon, from 59 - 89 mm. They were all lavaged and their stomach contents collected in individual vials.
7 Chinook Salmon, from 87 -118 mm. They were all lavaged like the chum. Also, anal fins were clipped for DNA testing.
dogfish, see photo below.
June 30, 2009 Beach Seines with Russel Barsh.
Russel brought his interns and Anne Beaudreau (who just got her doctorate, congratualations, Anne!). Locals included Winnie, David, Camilla and Julie, Susan T, and Glen.
Please note: Hover over a picture and click once to get it to enlarge.
Please note: Hover over a picture and click once to get it to enlarge.
June 30, 2009 Cowlitz Bay, 11:30, Water 56.1º F or 13.4ºC, high tide, sunny, breezy, light chop.
Two pulls. Lots of juvenile rockfish, two yearling or 2-year salmon, no herring. We counted and measured most of the fish from the first pull, and only the salmon from the second. The gut samples will be stored here and counted in the fullness of time.
Compare with two weeks ago, when the catch was quite different. In my opinion, Cowlitz is a nursery for herring, salmon, rockfish, and forage fish. They are not evenly distributed either over space or time, so each beach seine gets a different picture. That's a laymadam's opinion.
2 Cabezon, 217 and 220 mm.
1 big fat mamma flatfish, about 250+ mm.
1 White-spotted Greenling, 255 mm.
1 greenling spp, 179
1 gunnel spp.
13 Shiner Perch
13 Striped Perch
19 Snake Pricklebacks.
50 + rockfish, probably mostly Copper Rockfish, from 85 - 170 mm.
1 Sand Lance
1 Pacific Staghorn Sculpin, 195 mm.
The following fish were lavaged and measured:
11 Wild Chinooks, from 62 - 118 mm,
2 Hatchery Chinooks, at 118 and 144 mm,
2 older Chinooks, at 229 and 239 mm ("blackmouth salmon").
Almost all had eaten midges, many also had sand lances in their stomachs.
5 Chum Salmon, from 55 - 84 mm.
Compare with two weeks ago, when the catch was quite different. In my opinion, Cowlitz is a nursery for herring, salmon, rockfish, and forage fish. They are not evenly distributed either over space or time, so each beach seine gets a different picture. That's a laymadam's opinion.
2 Cabezon, 217 and 220 mm.
1 big fat mamma flatfish, about 250+ mm.
1 White-spotted Greenling, 255 mm.
1 greenling spp, 179
1 gunnel spp.
13 Shiner Perch
13 Striped Perch
19 Snake Pricklebacks.
50 + rockfish, probably mostly Copper Rockfish, from 85 - 170 mm.
1 Sand Lance
1 Pacific Staghorn Sculpin, 195 mm.
The following fish were lavaged and measured:
11 Wild Chinooks, from 62 - 118 mm,
2 Hatchery Chinooks, at 118 and 144 mm,
2 older Chinooks, at 229 and 239 mm ("blackmouth salmon").
Almost all had eaten midges, many also had sand lances in their stomachs.
5 Chum Salmon, from 55 - 84 mm.
June 30, 2009 Zeo's Beach, 14:00. Windy, sunny, choppy water with a bit of surf, early ebb. Water 15.7º C or 62º F.
We did one pull here, because the water was too choppy and we didn't find salmon. We consolidated two gut samples, one from 5 greenlings, and the other from 6 cod.
6 Cod, from 85 - 110 mm,
5 Greenlings, from 69 - 90 mm,
59 Shiner Perch
2 Saddleback Gunnels
3 Sculpin spp.
6 Cod, from 85 - 110 mm,
5 Greenlings, from 69 - 90 mm,
59 Shiner Perch
2 Saddleback Gunnels
3 Sculpin spp.
June 30, 2009 Mail Bay, 14:40. Calm, sunny, flat water, ebb tide. Water 63.5ºF or 17.5ºC.
We did one pull here, finding a bargeload of cute little baby English Sole. Nothing was lavaged.
1 greenling spp, 85 mm,
125 Shiner Perch, from around 45 to around 100 mm,
1 Snake Prickleback
44+ sculpin spp, many around an inch long, none large like the adults we found in Cowlitz Bay.
555+ English Sole, from 46 - 76 mm,
1 greenling spp, 85 mm,
125 Shiner Perch, from around 45 to around 100 mm,
1 Snake Prickleback
44+ sculpin spp, many around an inch long, none large like the adults we found in Cowlitz Bay.
555+ English Sole, from 46 - 76 mm,