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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Please note that although some fish were dying and gill damage was observed from Squaxin Island Net Pen facility this past week, it is overstating the situation to call it a “fish kill” or even a “minor fish kill”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission pathologist Bruce Stewart indicated that mortalities were sampled from the pens as a normal pre-release protocol. It is normal to have a certain amount of daily mortality in such operations. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>He also stress that no direct evidence exists between the observed bloom and gill damage except the reputation of the species involved. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Thank you Bruce for that important clarification. We do not want to start any urban or rural legends about what actually happened! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Because of the importance of this perhaps first major bloom of Phaeocystis in Puget Sound, I sincerely hope someone can initiate some spatial and temporal sampling. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>The actual extent of the bloom remains unknown and of course may be changing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>NOAA staff may be in the area presently for other, non-HAB sampling and NWFSC HAB program staff are attempting to contact them at this time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Meanwhile in North Puget Sound the Fraser River discharge is increasing above the historical upper quartile level but water temperatures may be relatively cool (9-10C) for Heterosigma cyst germination (thought to be about 14C) but no data are available from shallow bays such as Samish Bay that are always a bit warmer than the main basins in the growing season. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Jack<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=590 height=317 id="_x0000_i1028" src="cid:image003.jpg@01CC1706.EC086EC0" alt="Description: C:\Users\Rensel\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\Fraser 20May11.jpg"><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=624 height=734 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image004.jpg@01CC1706.EC086EC0" alt="Description: C:\Users\Rensel\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\chlorophyll 19May11.jpg"><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Rensel [mailto:jackrensel@att.net] <br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, May 19, 2011 10:52 AM<br><b>To:</b> 'SoundHAB@whoi.edu'<br><b>Subject:</b> South Puget Sound fish kill and increasing phytoplankton abundance in the usual areas of Puget Sound<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A minor fish kill of yearling coho salmon has occurred at the Squaxin Island Tribal net pens in Southern Puget Sound commencing from 2 days ago, possibly associated with a bloom of Phaeocystic sp., a harmful or noxious species not usually associated with fish kills and not previously reported from Puget Sound fish kills in the past. Fish are reared for a short term in these pens before release to enhance fisheries in the South Puget Sound an elsewhere in cooperation with the Washington State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. Managers are assessing the situation and may release the fish in the near future. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This reportedly was not a major fish kill and Northwest Indian Fish Commission fish pathologists have inspected the fish, observed gill damage and made management recommendations. If more information becomes available, we will pass it on. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Meanwhile many of the usual suspect areas are experiencing increased phytoplankton biomass concurrent with the first sunny and relatively warm weather of our year. NWFSC NOAA workers and fish farmers in North Puget Sound report that species composition is mainly diatoms where it has been sampled. However this is based on limited sampling and not the US/Canada border areas or Samish and Padilla Bay areas that are often bloom inittition areas for Heterosigma. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tides are relatively large this week which tends to reduce the risks of major blooms in our mixed channel areas. Vertical stratification near river mouths and throughout all north Puget Sound north and east of Orcas Island and the South Strait of Georgia is in some cases less influenced by tidal induced mixing. The plot below shows what may be an early peaking discharge of the Fraser River are factors of concern for fish killing Heterosigma blooms, as occurred in May 2007 and was associated with the extremely poor return of Fraser River sockeye in 2009. Historically, Heterosigma blooms often first occurred around July 4<sup>th</sup>, but in recent years blooms have occurred much earlier. Unfortunately, no sampling is being conducted in the open waters of South Strait of Georgia at this time to the best of our knowledge although typically sockeye smolts by the millions are flooding out of the river into the South Strait of Georgia. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you to Jeff Dickison of the Squaxin Island Tribe for reporting this event. We invite all participants to report harmful blooms using SoundHAB list serv and especially fish kills to please report such events as soon as possible so that other researchers can cooperate and contribute. This is especially important for species of harmful algae that previously have not been implicated in nusiance or toxic blooms in our area in the past. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Yesterday’s Modis Satellite chlorophyll <i>a</i> image from an afternoon time period. MODIS NPP, 0.0125 degrees, West US, EXPERIMENTAL<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(mg m^-3) 2011-05-18 (not adjusted for river plume effects). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=624 height=736 id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CC1700.958BD5B0" alt="Description: C:\Users\Rensel\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\F4FHUS15\chlorophyll 18May11.jpg"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Fraser River Discharge (solid line), Mean historical flow (dashed) and upper quartile of historical flow (dashed-dotted)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=587 height=318 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01CC1700.958BD5B0" alt="Description: C:\Users\Rensel\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\F4FHUS15\Fraser 19May11.jpg"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>J.E. Jack Rensel Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Rensel Associates Aquatic Sciences<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>4209 234<sup>th</sup> St. N.E.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Arlington WA 98223<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>360-631-6538<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:Jackrensel@att.net">Jackrensel@att.net</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>