Salish Sea Marine Biology

The Salish Sea is an international inland sea that includes the Strait of Juan De Fuca, Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, and many smaller bays and inlets (such as Bellingham Bay). These waters are fascinating and important biologically. Eroding mountains provide and rivers deliver nutrients to the marine ecosystem, while complex currents, tides, and high winds mix nutrients throughout the water column, providing the life source for a highly productive and diverse food web featuring plankton, seaweeds, invertebrates, fish, birds, and marine mammals, and more. These waters have supported and continue to support many human communities, from Coast Salish and other tribes, to today’s ever-increasing human population. Past and present resource use and pollution threatens the biological integrity of this marine system. In this field course we will examine all of these things. We will learn to identify common marine species and will seek to understand how Salish Sea ecosystems function– from estuaries, to intertidal zones, to the deeper pelagic waters. We will also consider the threats to the marine environment and evaluate what is being done to preserve and restore its biological integrity. We will have an intensive three evening study of inter-tidal ecology, culminating with teaching the Fairhaven community and local elementary school students at Marine Park in Fairhaven Village.

Note this class will meet for a longer field trip on Wednesday, March 6th (3pm to 9pm), and will also feature three mandatory evening field trips to study tidepool ecology (February 6, 7, and 8, 7-10 PM). We will only meet on seven Wednesdays to give comp time for extra field trips.