Forage Fish: Research & Management in the Southern Salish Sea

Forage fish are a vital conduit of energy from lower trophic consumers and producers to higher level consumers like salmon, seabirds, and marine mammals. Recognition of the key role forage fish play in the Salish Sea ecosystem and their importance to salmon recovery and Southern Resident Killer Whale survival has helped to reignite interest in the health of this critical group of species in Washington. Phill will introduce some of the recent and ongoing efforts underway to monitor and protect these species as well as discuss some of the threats facing them and the challenges of studying them.


For Winter Quarter 2020 Huxley College is collaborating with the Salish Sea Institute for the Huxley Speaker Series, with a focus on the Salish Sea.

 

About the Speaker

Phillip Dionne
Phillip Dionne

Phillip Dionne is the Marine Fish Science Unit lead for forage fish research and management and has been with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife since 2011. His current research interests are monitoring and assessing the distribution, abundance, and characteristics of forage fish stocks and habitat, and assessing new methods to research and monitor those stocks. Prior to researching forage fish, Phill used mark – recapture, and acoustic telemetry to assess abundance of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed Shortnose Sturgeon in Maine, and Green Sturgeon in Washington and Oregon.

 

Environmental Speaker Series

The Environmental Speaker Series is hosted by the College of the Environment at Western Washington University.

The Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30 pm in Academic Instructional Center West room 204 - AW-204. Talks will also be streamed via zoom. Register with the Alumni Association for the zoom link. Paid parking is available in lot C.

Learn more about the Environmental Speaker Series
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