Herring and eelgrass study

Fresh from the field: Puget Sound Institute (PSI) research scientist Tessa Francis sent us this photo of herring eggs on eelgrass today. 

 (Click to enlarge photo.)

Francis and PSI are collaborating with NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the Washington Department of Fish And Wildlife to study the possible link between eelgrass abundance and herring populations in Puget Sound.

Francis writes: "Eelgrass is a key substrate used by Pacific herring for spawning in the nearshore habitats of Puget Sound. Because some patches of eelgrass are shrinking, some people have postulated that recovery of Puget Sound herring is linked to increasing eelgrass abundance. We are testing this hypothesis by measuring herring use of eelgrass and other substrates around Puget Sound - they also use other species of submerged vegetation, like Gracillariopsis, Sargassum, and Ulva; and even rock and gravel in some locations - and measuring egg mortality rates on each substrate type."

The team of scientists recently kicked off their study, which is part of a larger research effort to understand the status and health of forage fish populations in Puget Sound.