Puget Sound Restoration Fund

TO RESTORE HABITAT, WATER QUALITY AND NATIVE SPECIES IN THE PUGET SOUND

CONSERVATION HATCHERY - OPERATED A CONSERVATION HATCHERY ESTABLISHED WITH NOAA UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE WASHINGTON SHELLFISH INITIATIVE. DEDICATED IN 2014, THE KENNETH K CHEW CENTER FOR SHELLFISH RESEARCH AND RESTORATION SERVES AS A HUB FOR PROPAGATING AND RESTORING NATIVE SPECIES AND DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO MITGATE THE IMPACTS TO MARINE RESOURCES DUE TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION. THE HATCHERY IS OPERATED BY PUGET SOUND RESTORATION FUND AND HOUSED AT THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATIONS (NOAA) MANCHESTER RESEARCH STATION IN MANCHESTER, WA. 2021 HATCHERY AND NURSERY OPERATIONS INCLUDED MAINTAINING ALGAE CULTURE, PROPAGATING AND REARING OLYMPIA OYSTERS AND PINTO ABALONE, ADAPTIVELY MANAGING CONSERVATION PROTOCOLS TO ENSURE GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND OTHER STRESSORS AFFECTING SHELLFISH POPULATIONS.

KEP MONITORING INITIATIVE:BEGAN A THREE-YEAR, COMPREHENSIVE KELP FOREST MONITORING INITIATIVE IN DECEMBER 2021 WITH A GRANT FROM THE PAUL G. ALLEN FAMILY FOUNDATION. THE EYES ON KELP INITIATIVE ESTABLIHES UNDERWATER MONITORING AT 14 INDEX SITES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHERN SALISH SEA, SPANNING A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND HUMAN USE IMPACTS. PROGRAM COMPONENTS INCLUDE: CONDUCTING UNDERWATER ECOLOGICAL MONITORING WITH SCIENTIFIC DIVERS; DEPLOYING SENSORS AT ALL SITES TO MEASURE ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS; TRAINING RECREATIONAL DIVERS TO CONDUCT SURVEYS USING THE SAME PROTOCOLS AT ADDITIONAL SITES; AND PILOTING NEW TECHNOLOGY AT A DEMONSTRATION SITE TO PROVIDE NEAR-REAL TIME KELP MONITORING CAPABILITIES. THE INITIATIVE IS DESIGNED TO BUILD CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PUGET SOUNDS KELP FORESTS TO SUPPORT CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY EFFORTS.

ABALONE RECOVERY - CONTINUED MANAGING A PINTO ABALONE CONSERVATION BREEDING PROGRAM IN 2021 BY PRODUCING AND REARING GENETICALLY DIVERSE ABALONE IN THE HATCHERY PRIOR TO OUTPLANTING JUVENILE ABALONE AT RESTORATION SITES TO HELP RECOVER SEVERLY DEPRESSED ABALONE POPULATIONS IN WASHINGTON STATE. PINTO ABALONE HELP MAINTAIN HEALTHY SUBTIDAL ROCKY REEF HABITAT AND KELP FOREST ECOSYSTEMS BY GRAZING AND CLEARING ROCK SURFACES FOR SETTLEMENT BY OTHER ORGANISMS. AS OF DECEMBER 2021, 40,000 JUVENILE ABALONE HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED AT RESTORATION SITES IN THE SAN JUAN ARCHIPELAGO (SJA) THROUGH A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE, NOAA, TRIBES, AND UNIVERSITIES. THE GOAL IS TO USE HEALTHY, GENETICALLY DIVERSE HATCHERY REARED JUVENILE ABALONE TO CREATE AGGREGATIONS IN THE WILD THAT DEVEOPE INTO SUSTAINABLY REPRODUCING POPULATIONS. OUTPLANT DATA ANALYZED IN 2018 DOCUMENTED A 97% DECLINE IN THE POPULATION AT INDEX STATIONS 1994-2017.