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Does the road to recovery of Pacific herring
go through eelgrass?
Tessa Francis, PhD
University of Washington Tacoma
Puget Sound Institute
Pacific herring Clupea pallasi
Herring are foundational species in the Puget Sound
Marbled murrelet: 60%
Tufted puffin
Herring are declining in Puget Sound
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
1973 1983 1993 2003
Ad
ult
Herr
ing
Sp
aw
ners
(t
on
s)
Year
Quartermaster Harbor
0
3,000
6,000
9,000
12,000
15,000
18,000
1973 1983 1993 2003Ad
ult
Herr
ing
Sp
aw
ners
(to
ns)
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
rob
ab
ility
of ha
tch
ing
Elliot Bay PM HH CP QB
Shelton, Francis et al. 2014 MEPS CP HH QB QM
Herring are foundational species in Puget Sound.
Herring hatch rates vary more by SITE than by SUBSTRATE TYPE.
Predation 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 Institute [email protected]