Hiss, J.M., J.L. Schroeder and S. Lind. 1988. The effect of beach nourishment on salmonid prey resources of Lincoln Park Beach, Seattle, Washington: pre- project conditions. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Report to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 17 pp.

Region: PNW Species: Salmon

Study Objectives: Baseline study for impact assessment. Assess the density of those epibenthic zooplankton which juvenile salmon feed upon, before and after three acres of high intertidal beach zone are filled with five feet of gravel.

Study Methods: Plot #1: At +8 to +5 foot MLLW intertidal elevations. Plot #2: At +5 to -2 foot MLLW. Each plot had two control plots. Eight replicate samples were taken from each of the treatment plots and four from each of the control plots. The sampling schedule corresponded to the juvenile salmonid outmigration through the area between late February and mid June. Zooplankton were collected by epibenthos pump with identification and sorting of organisms by their prey value to juvenile salmon in nearshore marine areas.

Results: Upper intertidal zone scheduled to receive beach nourishment results: March - isopods and amphipods predominated, April - isopods and amphipods predominated with harpacticoid copepods becoming common, May - harpacticoid copepods dominated, June - isopods dominated with harpacticoids second in abundance. Lower seaward intertidal zone results: March, April, May and June were all harpacticoid copepod predominated.

Conclusions: Epibenthic zooplankton with potential value as juvenile salmon prey were identified, sorted and counted. The data collected appears adequate as a baseline for evaluating the impact of beach nourishment on potential feeding grounds of juvenile salmon.