Sund Rock Rockfish

15

75

2/28/06 4/19/06 6/8/06 7/28/06 9/16/06 11/5/06 12/25/06 2/13/07

0-20 ft

20-50 ft

50 ft-maxdive depth

Sund RockWest Station

02468

10121416

2/28/06 4/19/06 6/8/06 7/28/06 9/16/06 11/5/06 12/25/06 2/13/07

Dis

so

lve

d O

xyg

en

(m

g/L

or

pp

m)

surface at 3ft bottom at 20ft bottom 40-60ft bottom 70-90ft

stress hypoxia

Sept. 19th-Reported Fish Kill& Unusual sightings

Source: Hood Canal Citizens’ Monitoring Program

Source: Hood Canal Diver Observation Program

STRESSAPPARENT

NON-STRESS

Data reflected the progression of the event by recording shifts in depth distributions and spatial abundance of fish populations.

Photo: Hood Canal Event Response Team

Photo: Hood Canal Event Response Team

Photo: Scott Boyd

Sund Rock•Many dead lingcod •Dying sea cucumbers & sunflower stars•Nearly all fish in shallow water (0-20 ft) 75 copper rockfish, sluggish 150+ perch Wolf eels lethargic

Sund Rock•Signs of stress continue•Most fish above 30 ft•At 150 ft, healthy-looking sea pens, crab, flatfish

Octopus Hole •Fish lethargic and shallow•Large school of rockfish at ~30 ft, moving slow.

Sund Rock•Almost all life above 20-30 ft.•Wolf eels out in the open.•Below 90 ft: some crab, flatfish

Sund Rock•much of what was struggling is now dead and dying•20 ft or less: 20-30 copper rockfish and 3-4 vermilion rockfish, 15-20 pile perch, 2 large schools of shiner perch, 11 striped perch, 100+ coonstripe shrimp, 4-5 red rock crab50-100 sea cucumbers dead or dying

Progression of Event – Southern Hood Canal

Stress

Mortality Lethargy

Fish shallow

Death & Decomposition

Photo: Janna Nichols

Photo: Janna Nichols

Photo: Janna Nichols

Mid Sep Oct 1 Mid Oct

Sund Rock•Little life below 32 ft

Sund Rock•Dead and dying animals in very shallow water

Distribution Changes

Stress & Mortality

Photo: Janna Nichols

Progression of Event – Northern Hood Canal

Pulali, Pinnacle•Good life and activity down to 80 fsw. 

•Good life and activity but there are subtle indications that the low O2 is affecting the critters

Photo: Janna Nichols

Photo: Janna Nichols

Mid Sep Oct 1 Mid Oct Subtle changes

Pulali•Stressed sunflower stars, sea cucumbers, sea lemon

Rosies’s Ravine•Stressed anemones

Flagpole•Stressed wolf-eel

Good Activity, Normal Distribution

Some stress

Stressed Invertebrates

Good ActivityRosie’s RavineGood variety, life, and activity to 110 ft 

Gobie Gardens, Black Point, The Pinnacle •lots of fish, good activity, nothing unusual

Normal Observations