With the recognition that estuaries and nearshore ecosystems provide vital support to juvenile and adult Pacific salmon, as well as the greater food web, there is growing interest in the ‘greening’ and restoring of our shorelines and nearshore waters.
The interest is further heightened by additional opportunities including the potential for carbon sequestration, habitat banking, the value of ecosystem services, and kelp aquaculture.
Illustration by Delaney Cox of Drawing it Out.
However, the success of nearshore restoration projects may be hampered by a lack of: knowledge on optimal site selection, collated and open-access information on the efficacy of methodologies available and appropriate approaches under worsening climate change scenarios, and guidance on priority areas for restoration.
With new funding under DFO’s Aquatic Ecosystem Research Fund (AERF), PSF’s Marine Science
Program is leading a project that will result in the creation of a Restoration Resource Hub of open-access informative resources and decision-support tools to guide and help co-ordinate adaptive nearshore habitat restoration approaches and strategies. By fostering multi-disciplinary approaches and enhancing education, awareness, and skills, this project will improve conservation efforts and protect valued fish species and habitats.
Over the course of the three year project, decision support tools, practitioner guides, and state of knowledge documents will be created in accessible formats. Emphasis is on the key nearshore and estuary habitats that support Pacific salmon, namely: estuaries, eelgrass, kelp and marsh.
Learn more about the project in this newsletter.
