Cedar Coast Field Station
PO Box 1209, 2 Vargas Island V0R2Z0 Tofino, BC, Canada

We are excited to finally present our contribution to the Science and Conservation in the Clayoquot Biosphere Region StoryMap in partnership with West Coast NEST ! This collection of StoryMaps explores the diverse sustainability research and monitoring projects taking place in the Clayoquot Biosphere Region. We chose to highlight our juvenile salmon monitoring program. Follow the link to explore Assessing Juvenile Salmon in Clayoquot Sound to learn more about how we are i...nvestigating the decline of wild pacific salmon. These StoryMaps display best on a desktop to explore the interactive maps and videos. . This project has been created in partnership with West Coast NEST , Royal Roads University, Raincoast Conservation Foundation , Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society, Association of Wetland Stewards for Clayoquot and Barkley Sounds and the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust - be sure to check out all the StoryMaps here https://www.westcoastnest.org//science-conservation-in-the! https://arcg.is/1rOXuC

Our friends at the Salmon Coast Field Station have looked at how each salmon population is doing in the Broughton Archipelago and the Southern Central Coast. With this Info we can see how each populations has changed over time and if they have the ability to rebound, even when at low abundance. Check out the link below to read the report or even listen to the a podcast of the findings by lead author Emma Atkinson! We have been very lucky to work with researchers from Salmon Coast to develop the same analysis for the West Coast of Vancouver Island, including Clayoquot Sound. Our analysis is coming soon!

BREAKING NEWS: Salmon fish farms to be removed from Discovery Islands! The government of Canada just announced their decision not to renew 18 salmon fish farm licences in the Discovery Islands! This decision comes after consultation with seven First Nations, on whose traditional territory these fish farms currently reside. Here is Clayoquot Sound, Cedar Coast is working to collect data on our own juvenile salmon and their interactions with the local fish farms. Accurate and robust scientific evidence is vital to informing any major decision about the health of our shared ecosystems.

Thank you to Ocean Outfitters Tofino Adventures for the spotlight! Ocean outfitters has been supporting our research programs for a number of years and continues to make our ecological monitoring efforts possible. Big thank you to their team for keeping our community strong through thick and thin.

Earlier this year, we had the great privilege to join Clayoquot Action in sharing some of our research on juvenile salmon in Clayoquot Sound. Please consider supporting our salmon research this holiday season, #givelocal through the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust with charitable donations to local, non-profit organizations. You will find us and other community organizations here for your easy access Thank you to Surfri...der Pacific Rim for sharing the video at their Short Film Festival, and to Ocean Outfitters Tofino Adventures, the Sitka Foundation and Pacific Salmon Foundation who support the salmon work we do. Footage: Jérémy Mathieu - Photographie et Film & Tavish Campbell & River Voices Productions Jeremy Williams

Juvenile Salmon Monitoring June 2020 p/c: Jérémy Mathieu

This is what the data collection side of juvenile salmon monitoring looks like. We are still plugging away, slow and steady with just the two of us. We are starting to see more lice and more mature lice now that we are a bit later in the season.

Had our third day out on the water this year monitoring juvenile salmon. We were up in Bedwell on Friday and we only found 3 juvenile lice on 64 coho, Chinook and chum fry and smolts. The first picture is from pre-social distancing days while out with a @questuniversitycanada course ... We'll keep you updated as the season progresses. Thanks for the generous support from @oceanoutfitterstofino and the Sitka foundation for making our juvenile salmon monitoring possible this season. @ Cedar Coast Field Station

Traffic may be nonexistent in major cities right now but the grey whale traffic in clayoquot Sound is out of hand! I had to troll through Father Charles channel today to avoid disrupting these hungry migrating Grey's getting a long awaited feed. A relatively good showing of spawning herring in The area this year seems to have brought them in. We spotted 12 feeding right out front of the station earlier this week. We intend to keep up our grey whale monitoring of summer resident grey whales again this year so check your feed for more updates.

A fantastic local organization that goes above and beyond to support local community initiatives and environmental NGO's like us. We are proud to work with such a strong community partner. Ocean Outfitters continues to provide support for our ecological monitoring despite the recent downturn to all activity in the region.

The Cedar Coast Field Station will be postponing this season's opening date to May 1st due to the recent pandemic. At that time, we will provide a programming update based off of the current protocols for social distancing and self isolation. We will not be accepting any volunteers at this time, and have unfortunately decided to cancel our annual Youth Empowerment summer camp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this programming update, please do not hesitate to... contact us at [email protected] We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time. #stayhealthy #cedarcoast # fieldstation #clayoquotsound #tofino #research #ecologicalmonitoring #education #stayhome #offgridliving #explorebclater

It's World Poetry Day! And with all of the self-isolating that is occurring around the world, it's a perfect time to sit peacefully and read a few of your favourite poems. One of our favorite poets is Mary Oliver. Here's a poem titled Spring, that honors the black bear who is emerging back into the world after a winter of hibernation. Spring... Somewhere a black bear has just risen from sleep and is staring down the mountain. All night in the brisk and shallow restlessness of early spring I think of her, her four black fists flicking the gravel, her tongue like a red fire touching the grass, the cold water. There is only one question: how to love this world. I think of her rising like a black and leafy ledge to sharpen her claws against the silence of the trees. Whatever else my life is with it's poems and it's music and it's glass cities, it is also this dazzling darkness coming down the mountain, breathing and tasting; all day I think of her -- her white teeth, her wordlessness her perfect love. -Mary Oliver #worldpoetryday #maryoliver #blackbear #springequinox #springtime #poetry #selfisolation #cedarcoast #clayoquotsound

Had a wonderful few days with this respectful, helpful and positive group of @questuniversitycanada students! Their course, "Reconciling Salmon: Ecology, Culture, Politics, and Economy in Clayoquot Sound" aimed to highlight the many connections between people, place, and salmon here in Clayoquot Sound. Students went out with @mackbartlett, @satchrob, and @skookum_john to beach seine for juvenile Chinook near the mouth of the Bedwell River, and contributed to the growing data set of our juvenile salmon and sea lice monitoring project. Thank you for your your interest and intellectual conversations! And for stacking all that wood at @cedar.coast

Our field season is off to a busy start! We were lucky enough to work with amazing community members from Tofino and Ahousaht and the molecular genetics lab from the Pacific biological station. We are catching over wintering juvenile Chinook to try and find out what is causing them stress and possibly limiting their returns. We sampled through, snow, rain, hail, sunshine, Killer whales and Wolves this week and we're even hit by a white squall, look it up its scary! More excitement to come as were just getting started.

Biology and conservation seems to attract powerful and amazing women. We have been lucky enough to work with incredibly bright, passionate people over the past few years who have made Cedar Coast a reality. All of the admin hours behind a screen, rainy days out in the feild, organization, and coordination has been integral to all of our successes. And for that, we Thank you #everydayiswomensday

Cedar Coast's 2019 Juvenile Salmon & Sealice Monitoring report is out! As we prepare for this upcoming field season, there's no better time to read up on our methods, results, and the alarms raised from our most recent report. Annual monitoring provides valuable data, and data can play a crucial role in policy change and overall conservation efforts. The health and preservation of wild salmon is invaluable, so learn more by reading our report linked in our bio, or by visit...ing our website. A huge heartfelt thank you to @oceanoutfitterstofino . This work would not be possible without their support and financial contributions for all of our salmon related research projects. #wildsalmon #fieldwork #feildstation #offgridliving #cedarcoast #clayoquotsound #explorevancouverisland #pacificnorthwest #sealice

Look at that big heart!! Some beautiful visiting yogis that attended MOcean Yoga's Wild West Coast Retreat last May at the feild station! @moceanyoga Happy Valentine's Day! Stay tuned for their 2020 West Coast Retreat dates, coming soon! ... #valentines #cedarcoast #feildstation #offgridliving #getoutside #explorebc #lovewhereyoulive

February gifted us a little magic in between the rain and hail PC: @mackbartlett . .... . #february #westcoast #cedarcoast #pnw #explorevancouverisland #pacificrim #nationalparks #getoutside #findingthelight #sunrays See more

Every think about kelp?? Other than it getting caught up in your prop? Kelp are amazing habitat forming species that provides shelter for numerous fishes and invertebrate species. Surprisingly, we pay little attention to how well kelp forests are doing each year in Clayoquot Sound, and there are currently no directed surveys in the area. Savanna Young, an undergraduate student from Quest University Canada conducted a preliminary study using simple, cost effective methods o...f monitoring kelp coverage around Vargas Island. We're excited to expand this project this upcoming summer. Check out the report via the link in our bio, or by visiting our website cedarcoastfieldstation.org/archives/ #feildstation #fieldwork #kelpconservation #biology #offgrid #pnw #tofino #vargas #explorevancouverisland #explorebc #getoutside #bullkelp #giantkelpforest