Does  the  road  to  recovery  of  Pacific  herring    

go  through  eelgrass?  

Tessa  Francis,  PhD  University  of  Washington  Tacoma  

Puget  Sound  Ins?tute  

Pacific  herring  Clupea  pallasi  

Herring  are  founda1onal  species  in  the  Puget  Sound  

Marbled  murrelet:  60%  

Tu1ed  puffin    

Herring  are  declining  in  Puget  Sound  

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

1973 1983 1993 2003

Adu

lt H

errin

g Sp

awne

rs

(tons

)

Year

Quartermaster Harbor

0

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

18,000

1973 1983 1993 2003 Adu

lt H

errin

g Sp

awne

rs (t

ons)

Year

Cherry Point

Does  the  road  to  herring  recovery  go  through  eelgrass?    

Are  herring  limited  by  the  availability  of  eelgrass  for  spawning?    

Are  herring  egg  survival  rates  highest  on  eelgrass?  

Measuring herring egg mortality

Is  egg  survival  higher  on  eelgrass?  P

roba

bilit

y of

hat

chin

g

Elliot  Bay   PM   HH   CP   QB  

Shelton,  Francis  et  al.  2014  MEPS  CP   HH   QB   QM  

Herring  are  founda?onal  species  in  Puget  Sound.    

Herring  hatch  rates  vary  more  by  SITE  than  by  SUBSTRATE  TYPE.    

Preda?on  is  a  major  source  of  egg  mortality  at  most  spawning  sites,  but  does  not  explain  site  differences  in  egg  hatch  rates.  

 

Thank  you!  

Tessa  Francis  Puget  Sound  Ins?tute  tessa@uw.edu