Over 30 years of Education and Research

Hello Aquatic Reserve Supporters and Community Scientists! 

It's November and that means sand lance spawning season is finally here! We are so excited to be in the thick of it surveying for both surf smelt and sand lance. Spawning season has started in earnest with some modest amounts of spawning. DuPont Wharf leads the way with Villa Beach holding a distant third place while most other sites have yet to even begin. We expect to start seeing eggs at Tolmie State Park for both species.

Surf Smelt eggs                                    

1. DuPont Wharf Station 1 - 437

2. DuPont Wharf Station 2 - 294

3. Villa Beach - 94

4. Sandy Point - 4

5. Hogum Bay - 1*

6. Amsterdam Bay - 0

7. Lyle Point - 0

8. Tolmie State Park - 0

*may have come from possible sample cross contamination

Tides are not great this month, hence the earlier survey start times.  We have two days of sample processing to accomodate the increase in the number of samples we'll be collecting.  We anticipate collecting 6 more samples than usual and we hope we find sand lance eggs in all of them.  And with all the eggs that we expect to find, we've got a couple dates towards the end of the year when we will be taking a closer look at them and identifying their developmental stages.  

Remember our friend Gary from July?

Well, we found his cousin Larry and couple of his friends!  

Field Surveys:

Sunday, November 24 7:00 AM - 1:30 PM, Anderson Island (We will be taking the ferry, so space will be limited to those who sign up first.)

Monday, November 25 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, DuPont Wharf [Must be in good physical shape.  Sturdy footwear strongly advised; we'll be hiking up and down a couple steep trails (loose rocks and soil/mud). You may also want to bring water and snacks. Backpacks are helpful for carrying the sand ‘babies’ on the return trip.]

Wednesday, November 27 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Tolmie State Park and Hogum Bay

We meet up at the nature center for all surveys (unless otherwise noted), and carpool from there.

Sample Processing:

Saturday, November 30th 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Sunday, December 1st 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Prepare to get wet! (Knee boots and rain gear advised) We'll provide the refreshments. :)

Lab Analysis:

Sunday, December 1st 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Wednesday, December 4th 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Saturday, December 7th 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Sunday, December 8th, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Saturday, December 28th 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (staging eggs)

Sunday, December 29th, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (staging eggs)

No previous experience required to participate; we are happy to have new folks, so just bring your enthusiasm and patience and we will train you. You will get to be a community scientist for a day and help collect very important information that helps us keep tabs on the health of the Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve.  Your efforts are incredibly valuable, knowing when and where these fish are spawning ultimately provides habitat protection for the animals that depend on them. Remember: save forage fish, save salmon, save orcas!

If you're ready to sign up or if you're curious and want to learn more, contact Terence Lee at terencelee@nisquallyestuary.org. If you plan on attending any of these events, please RSVP.  If you can’t make it to an event for whatever reason and need to cancel, please contact us ASAP. We look forward to working with you on the beach and in the lab!

Many thanks,

Terence