L1 West Transect – 2012

Permanent Site: L1 West Transect; Depth: 11.2 Meters (36.6 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 2.3 Kilometers (1.4 Miles) west; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 10 months post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.13957527,-123.59427175; Site Description: This permanent site was only established post dam-removal after it was discovered that the degree of seaweed loss was more extensive than expected at the other permanent sites. Three sites, two further east (J1, K1) and one further west (L1) of the river mouth, were set up on former random sites known to have seaweed. Pre-dam removal conditions of the L1 area can be seen on the video ‘3MS18 (L1) West Transect – 2008’. This transect is medium depth with substrate that’s mainly fine sediment/sand/gravel with scattered boulders. Brown seaweed is still present but no longer abundant. Most common species include acid kelp Desmarestia (0:04 seconds), Saccharina spp. (0:58 seconds) and Costaria costata (0:42, 1:58 seconds). Invertebrates seen on video: rough piddock Zirfaea pilsbryi (siphon is two small circles to left of tape at 0:15 seconds); blood sea star Henricia leviuscula leviuscula (1:53 seconds); staghorn bryozoan Heteropora pacifica (yellow clumps on boulder at 1:33 seconds).