Low tide is the perfect opportunity to witness life under the Salish Sea, so, with bucket and shovel in hand, a curious crew gathered late July with local expert Anne Parkinson to explore the wonders of the Fulford estuary, one of the largest on the Gulf Islands.
So, what is an estuary? It is a stretch of shoreline where freshwater and the ocean meet. Unique plants and animals are found here where the water is not too salty, not too fresh, just right!
While roaming across the enormous sand/mud stretch towards the low tide, the group found three types of green seaweeds and dug up many invertebrates, ie those animals without spines: moon snails and their egg cases (which look like rubber off a car tire), a variety of clams, several different worms, crab shells and even a sand shrimp.
Once they reached the water, they took a close look at the eelgrass ‘meadow’ which creates a nursery for young fish, crabs, nudibranchs and others before they migrate out to the large, salty sea. Eelgrass is more related to a land plant than to a seaweed, with roots that anchor into the seabed. A healthy meadow calms wave action, which reduces shore erosion, stabilizes the bottom as a carbon sink and releases oxygen into the atmosphere. The group watched fish dart about and returned a stranded flat fish to the water.
Although the estuary looks flat and lifeless, an X-ray would prove how packed it really is with burrowing life. The healthier an estuary is, the healthier the food web will be – from migratory birds to salmon to whales. We can all do our best to ensure we live with care and respect for the healthiest estuary possible.
Low tide is the perfect opportunity to witness life under the Salish Sea, so, with bucket and shovel in hand, a curious crew gathered late July with local expert Anne Parkinson to explore the wonders of the Fulford estuary, one of the largest on the Gulf Islands.
What Can You Do?
- Learn about estuaries. Visit NOAA’s Estuary Education and National Estuarine Research Reserves websites.
- Respect habitat. Treat the homes of sensitive marine life with respect.
- Habitat and survival go hand in hand—when habitat disappears, so do plants and animals.
- Volunteer. Organize a stream, river, bay, or beach cleanup, or invite an expert to speak at your school or community group.
- Launch a restoration project in your community. Resources like The Coastal Restoration Toolkit can help you find tools and information for starting a habitat restoration project in your area.
- Think before you pour. Many hazardous chemicals pass through our drains and treatment plants and end up in our waters. Buy biodegradable products.
- Fish respectfully. Get the proper license, consider catch and release, and respect seasons and limits.
- Use non-toxic pesticides. Soap and water work remarkably well and keep toxins out of our water.
- Maintain your septic systems. Keep them in working order by pumping them every three years.
- Pave less. Hard surfaces increase runoff, carrying pollutants into nearby waterways.
- Obey no-wake zones. Waves damage shorelines and cause erosion.
- Choose native plants. They need less water and fertilizer to thrive.
Learn more about marine health or consider joining Transition Salt Spring’s Marine Stewardship group.