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And maybe you have salt marsh habitat nearby
— marshes not only provide incredible habitat
for salmon, but also provide a critical role by
helping buffer coastal communities from rising sea
levels through wave energy dissipation and flood
mitigation . Coastal salt marshes are biologically
rich and diverse habitats! Marshes support animals
like beavers, frogs, and birds, as well as a variety of
fish . They can exist along a spectrum of salinity
(some marshes are freshwater, others are in
estuarine environments, while others are entirely
marine) . Estuarine marshes are especially important
habitat for outmigrating juvenile salmon (Figure 2 .3) .
The emergent vegetation and channelized habitat
provide safe places for juvenile salmon to grow
before they make their way out into the open
ocean for the marine component of their life
history .
Pacific herring lay their eggs on all sorts of natural
materials along the coast as well — from algae
like rockweed to eelgrass (Figure 2 .4) . Herring
spawn is a huge annual event that attracts all
kinds of animals, including Great Blue Heron,
Bald Eagles, orca whales and seals . People come
to witness this event too! During spawning events, Figure 2.3 - The brackish marshes of the Fraser River
thousands of fish approach the shallow subtidal estuary are incredibly rich in biodiversity, and are
area, and coastal waters turn cloudy with the milt important rearing habitat for juvenile Pacific salmon
of the male fish . Forage fish like Pacific Herring are Photos by: Kyla Sheehan
critical food sources for Pacific salmon, and the
latter, particularly Chinook salmon, are critical food
for Southern Resident killer whales . During these
spawning events, you are often witnessing the
coastal food web in action!

Figure 2.4 - Pacific Herring spawn Photo by: Ryan Miller

BOTTOM LINE:

As you can see, healthy shorelines support a myriad of marine

and terrestrial life . As their human neighbours, we must do our part

to support these vital habitats, as both their and our future depends on it.

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