This research is conducted within the ḥaaḥuułi of t̓uk̓ʷaaʔatḥ and Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ ḥaw̓ił (traditional territories of Toquaht and Ucluelet First Nations’ hereditary chiefs).

Background

Kelp forests are critical to early marine survival of salmonids, yet these ecosystems have never been widely studied in Clayoquot or Barkley Sound. 

Summary

This kelp monitoring project marks the first of its kind for Redd Fish Restoration Society. Since 1995, the society has focused on restoration work within stream and lake environments. In effort to better understand the threats facing salmon, it’s essential to follow them through their life cycles, and into the nearshore marine environment.

When juvenile salmon migrate from freshwater into the ocean in the spring, they travel through ecosystems with salt marshes (coastal wetlands flooded by the tides). These environments support small channels for salmon to forage and hide in. 

As juveniles creep further from the river, they rely on estuary habitat – such as eelgrass meadows – which act like nurseries for the small fish. The next stop on their voyage is into kelp forests. Healthy kelp provide salmon with a sheltered corridor as they travel up the coast. These underwater forests shield them as they grow before braving the open ocean on their northbound migration.

While the focus of this research is aimed to determine the overall distribution and health of kelp forests in Barkley Sound, it’s correlated to the health of salmon and whether it provides sufficient habitat for juveniles.

Research & Monitoring

• To collect baseline data that can be compared against in the future, Redd Fish set out to begin capturing aerial imagery in 2021. Using a drone, the society documented the spatial extent of various kelp beds in Barkley Sound. 

• In 2022, Redd Fish expanded its research by broadening the monitoring area to include 10 primary sites. These sites contain giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) and bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), and were identified as priority areas by the society and Toquat Nation and Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government. Traditionally known for their large kelp forests, some of the survey sites served as important harvest areas for the nations.

• Without historical data to measure the health of the kelp beds against, Redd Fish is leaning on accounts from traditional knowledge holders, and a study led by Maycira Costa. The study used British admiralty charts from 1858 to 1956 to create the first historical digital map of B.C.’s coast kelp forests to investigate the loss of kelp. 

• Redd Fish also relied on data from partners and researchers associated with the Hakai Institute, the University of Victoria, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. 

• The next step in this initiative will consist of incorporating environmental DNA (eDNA). Various organisms, including salmon, shed their DNA in kelp beds, which can be assessed through water samples. Because juveniles tend to be elusive, eDNA is the best tool to determine presence, absence and abundance of salmon within kelp forest ecosystems.  

• Through annual collection of aerial imagery, gathering hands-on density measurements, and water sampling for eDNA, Redd Fish will develop a sense of the presence, size and density of kelp forests within the region. This will be used to identify if there are any significant trends of change over time.

• These indicators will ultimately determine how salmon are being impacted and establish if there’s a need for restoration.