Beach Seines with Schools

In 2022, the MRC started a new program called Beach Seine with Schools. The goal of this program is to provide elementary students with an opportunity to observe the importance of intertidal habitats to juvenile salmon and forage fish, fostering a deeper sense of connection to our shorelines. Due to the success and demand for this program in its initial years, the project has continued into 2025.

Through this program, students attend a two hour field event where they observe the deployment and catch of a beach seine at a recently restored pocket beach at Boulevard Park during the peak juvenile salmon outmigration period. Seining events are preceded by a short talk from a Tribal elder or a guest scientist who discuss the cultural and ecological importance of salmon. MRC members also visit the participating classrooms prior to and following the field events to brief students on the significance of the intertidal corridor to juvenile salmon.

The Beach Seine with Schools project relies on various partners, organizations, and the local community to help facilitate the program. Partners include the Lummi Nation Natural Resources Department, Tribal speakers and marine scientists, the Salish Sea School, the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, the Northwest Straits Foundation, Whatcom County Public Works, and several community volunteers.

Event 1 Results:
938 chum salmon, 1 chinook salmon, 1 coho salmon, and 1 shiner perch.

Event 2 Results:
11 chum salmon, 9 chinook salmon, 4 coho salmon, and 3 shiner perch.

Event 3 Results:
5 chum salmon, 9 chinook salmon, and 1 coho salmon.