Nearshore Forage Fish Survey with Seine Net at Elwha River Beach

This multi-agency forage fish survey crew caught a single surf smelt in their seine net, which Diane and I happened to witness while walking on the Elwha River beach with our Norwegian Elkhound, Skye. One member of the crew told us that their objective is to record the species, quantity and health of nearshore fish that are captured. The team seemed to enjoy this process, which is important for understanding the forage fish ecology in Washington waters. But to us, it looked like a lot of work with little to show for it!
I would like to thank the survey crew for allowing me to record video of this process. I hope that in the future, I will have the opportunity to record a more complete story of this very important forage fish survey proxess.
To learn more on this subject, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website at this address:
wdfw.wa.gov/fi...

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With lowering amounts of turbidity at the mouth of the Elwha, bull kelp may be the vegetative cover, plant production, physical plant forms as they grow so quickly with response to sunlight incidence, the plants leaves and stems as they wash up or break away from the bull kelp, and their final physical breakdown from the aging plants with the rigors of winter, all great for other Species that favor kelp beds including many near shore fish Species, clams, and insect production.