Marine Science Program Newsletter

Log Booms, Seals, and Adult Chinook in Cowichan Bay

The coastline of the Salish Sea has an extensive history of log storage, which, unfortunately, is not
without consequence to the environment. Log storage activities, such as the presence of log booms
in our BC waters, cause cumulative effects which can alter ecosystem dynamics. Log storage has
left a legacy of habitat degradation, which lasts long after sites are decommissioned. Protected
bays and estuaries are ideal for log booms but are also critical migratory corridors for juvenile
salmon during their spring outmigration and as adults returning to spawn; thus we must under-
stand the impacts of log booms and manage these areas in a way that supports Pacific salmon
and other species which utilize estuaries and bay ecosystems. This newsletter highlights a project
that has received support from the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and is being carried out to assess
whether the presence of log booms increases predation on adult salmon that are returning to
spawn.

https://www.marinescience.ca/wp-cont...ctions-Web.pdf