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PR Foreshore study

As seen at open house

Areas covered

Port authority

Jurisdiction

See infamous red, yellow, green “zoning” sic map

Important eelgrass are

Flora Banks is key habitat

Green area

bottom

	Area (ha)	Percent
Bare Substrate	414.0	47.1
Eelgrass	107.0	12.2
High Intertidal Green vegetation	13.0	1.5
High Intertidal Brown vegetation	57.6	6.5
Green Algae	8.9	1.0
Kelp and Submerged	2.6	0.3
Low Density Intertidal brown algae	193.4	22
Mixed Low Intertidal Algae	61.7	7.0
Unidentified Submerged vegetation	21.3	2.4
Total	879.5	100

A look at Biology as seen from aerial photos

Quick and Dirty

For higher resolution click here (181K)

Each of the segments was categorized and this rough map shows the main biological categories: eelgrass beds (as Flora Banks) salt marshes, canopy kelps etc.

Note the detail for Flora bank area (eelgrass) – this looks like easily monitored using aerial photos and some ground truthing.

Below shore units as on map have been selected for having Nereocystis – a canopy kelp—the P means unit patchy cover as opposed to continuous cover

Access database view

I guess categories below = “grass”, eelgrass (Zostera, Nereo, the lichen:Verrucaria, Fucus, Barnacles. Mussels and “red algae”

shore_UNIT	WETLAND?	GRA	ZOS	NER	VER	FUC	BAR	MUS	ULV	RED
1				P		P				C
2		P		P		P				C
8				P		P				P
9				P		P				C
11				P		P			P	C
12			P	P		P			P	C
32			P	P		P			P
34				P		P
46	Y	C		P		P
77				P		P				C
78	Y	P	P	P		P				P

Click here for the shore units page

Needs fine tuning

Here is a small patch of Nereocystis (canopy kelp—just offshore) along the RR tracks near Seal Cove.

Shore unit 31 but not seen on aerial photo so not recorded in database

Substrate and exposure – the physical determinants

Rocky shores not common

Sediment types are of course an expression of exposure – the more exposed sites tend to have the dirt washed away.

A further dimension is how “complex” the shore is—a straight rock wall contrasted to a small inlet

(click here for 167K image)

COMMENTS?

Lots of work yet to be done

Soon a study will be out showing what areas small salmon utilize in harbour—adding another layer or dimension to the harbour study.

Plus everything below low tide remains “unknown”