An Integrated Biophysical Assessment Of Estuarine Habitats In British Columbia To Assist Regional Conservation Planning

Estuaries are among the most biologically productive and threatened ecosystems in the world. The sustainability of estuarine ecosystems is in question due to coastal development, human population growth, and the increasing extraction of nearshore resources. Effective conservation of estuaries requires the achievement of two long-term goals: an objective, landscape-level scientific assessment to identify important areas for sustaining waterbird populations; and timely and efficient allocation of resources to conserve priority sites. To address the first goal, this project identified and mapped 142 of British Columbia's estuaries on behalf of the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program using standardized criteria and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The project provided a quantifiable regional overview of estuary habitats that links existing biophysical data attributes to assist conservation planning. Individual estuaries were ranked for their biological importance to waterbirds (ducks, geese, swans, loons, and grebes) using data and metrics of estuary size, habitat type and rarity, herring spawn occurrence, waterbird use, and intertidal biodiversity.--Document.

Biologists have long marvelled at how anadromous salmonids – fish that pass from rivers into oceans and back – survive as they migrate between these two very different environments. Yet, relatively little is understood about what happens to salmonids in the estuaries where they make this transition from fresh to salt water. This book distills the current knowledge of how eighteen salmonid species around the world (including salmon, steelhead, char, and trout) are adapted to estuaries. It discusses why the waters where rivers and oceans meet are critical to salmonid survival and how these vital habitats can be preserved and recovered.