About Kelp Beds Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is an annual marine seaweed that is common throughout the Gulf Islands. Its range extends from Alaska to California, and it provides important habitat for many kinds of marine life. The plant consists of a long stipe (up to 36 m long), attached Read more…
In April 2013 the Mayne Island Conservancy’s work on shoreline ecology has culminated in the publishing of the Mayne Island Shoreline Atlas Report, which synthesizes much of the knowledge gained from all the elements of our Shoreline Care Project. The Conservancy is grateful to Environment Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding Program for much of the funding that has made this report possible. Deliverables of the project are a GIS database and maps, which provide information about the ecological nature of Mayne Island’s shorelines. The impetus for the inventory arose out of concern for the increasing number of shoreline modifications constructed near the intertidal boundaries of the study area, combined with a lack of information regarding the location of critical habitats. (more…)
Why Survey Surf Smelt and Pacific Sand Lance? Surf Smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) are a schooling fish found in shallow near-shore waters. They range from Prince William Sound, Alaska, to Long Beach, California. They feed on plankton and in turn are preyed upon by larger fish, birds, and marine mammals. Along Read more…