Jan 2022 Winner Emily Buckner
Geoduck tubes do more than just shield cultured geoducks from predators. They also create an oasis for native clams, such as cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii, pictured here), to settle and grow. Cockles are becoming harder to find on several beaches in Puget Sound. The protection of mesh tubes may provide a new twist for cockle conservation. Researchers are partnering with geoduck farmers and tribes to explore the extent that cockles populate cultured beaches, whether cockle presence impacts geoduck, and how cockles could be transplanted to non-cultured beaches to restore populations and tribal harvest of this important traditional food.
March 2022 Winner Greg Bates
Tiger rockfish are prevalent in suspended oyster cages at Alaska Shellfish Farms in Halibut Cove, Ak. Tiger rockfish eat invertebrates including shrimp and brittle stars that thrive in the cages. Tiger rockfish can live up to 120 years so being a long lived species they are venerable to overfishing. We are happy oyster cages provide a good protected habitat to juveniles.
April 2022 Winner Call Nichols
Longline Pacific oyster clusters are a nursery for all manner of sealife, including juvenile spot prawns and ochre stars.
June 2022 Winner Nyle Taylor
Pictured is a Dungeness Crab finding refuge amongst mesh tubes in Discovery Bay at low tide. Rock Crabs, Graceful Crab, Spider Crab, and others are often found hiding, mating and foraging amongst the mesh tubes.
July 2022 Winner Megan Homewood
Yesterday we found a spot prawn hiding out in an oyster shell and using it as protected habitat creation!
August 2022 Winner Nyle Taylor
In Samish Bay, shellfish structure provides many ecosystem services. Eelgrass and many other species will often begin populating around flip bay poles and long line pipes. This picture shows a sponge beginning to climb up the top line anchor point. This particular area in Samish has soft, tacky mud and little natural structure. This sponge was happy to utilize our anchor as its own anchor.
October 2022 Winner Amber Taulbee
At Kamilche Seafarms, our suspended mussel lines are home and habitat for a plethora of South Puget Sound invertebrates. Anemones, Tunicates, Sponges, Hydroid Jellyfish, Skeleton Shrimps, and Sea Stars are part of the community of life that is living in tandem with our mussels we farm. These diverse communities supported by our mussel lines provide ecosystem services. In particular, their positive effects on food web dynamics, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and water filtration.
November 2022 Winner Lisa Carleton-Long
Hundreds of shore crab using our brail bag for their drive -in diner! As they feast on the purging processes of the clams inside…always cleaning and eating.
December 2022 Winner Daniel Leon
The cultch seed I helped spread in 2017 at one of the farms has created BBQ sized oysters for us to harvest and it provides a habitat “home” for the Midshipman and other aquatic life.