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Dana Daniels

Forage Fish Monitoring

Nearshore Habitat
Sand lance and surf smelt Sand lance (top) and surf smelt (bottom). Photo from the USGS.

The Whatcom MRC participates in a regional effort, led by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), to characterize populations of two species of forage fish that spawn on Puget Sound beaches: Pacific sand lance and surf smelt. This project includes successful collaboration between WDFW, the Salish Sea Alliance, and the MRC’s citizen scientists, improving knowledge of forage fish spawning grounds in Washington State.

Because forage fish are a vital component of the food web in the Salish Sea, WDFW monitors their spawning locations, population status, and responses to shoreline development. The MRC serves as a local partner to WDFW to support their statewide sampling efforts and to expand the impacts of the study. The data collected from these surveys is used to update WDFW's Washington Forage Fish Spawning Map.

Forage Fish Spawning Map

Dana Daniels

Sample Collection

The MRC conducts forage fish monitoring surveys at 2 locations including Little Squalicum Beach and Clayton Beach. The MRC also recruits volunteers to assist in monitoring efforts. The protocols used are outlined in WDFW’s Intertidal Forage Fish Spawning Habitat Survey Protocols.

Volunteers collect a bulk sediment sample to monitor for forage fish at Little Squalicum Beach.

A sample tag laid out along a 100-ft transect that is used to collect subsamples at equal intervals at each site. The scale on the sample tag helps accurately characterize the sediment grain size.

Volunteers pose with forage fish survey gear and bulk sediment samples at Little Squalicum Beach. Photo credits: Dana Daniels.

Sample Processing

Once the bulk sediment samples are collected, they are condensed though a multi-step process. The sediment samples are first washed and poured through a stack of graduated wire-mesh sieves. Next, the vortex separation method is used to separate the remaining sediment from the forage fish eggs. The eggs and any remaining sediment are preserved in a sample jar and sent to WDFW for microscopic analysis. 

Volunteers process bulk sediment samples collected at the beach by pouring the them through nested sieves, removing larger grained sediment.

Volunteers condense samples after sieving using the vortex method for separation of forage fish eggs from beach sediments.

A fully processed, condensed, and preserved forage fish sample, ready for microscopic analysis by WDFW. Photo credits: Dana Daniels.

Sampling Locations and Results

Dana Daniels

Map showing the 4 forage fish survey sampling locations on Little Squalicum Beach.

Little Squalicum Beach

The MRC collects forage fish monitoring samples monthly from 4 locations along Little Squalicum Beach, including 2 beach nourishment areas (LSE-3 and LSE-4) and 2 locations in close proximity to restoration sites completed by the City of Bellingham (LSE-2) and in progress by the Port of Bellingham (LSE-1).

The goal of forage fish monitoring at Little Squalicum Beach is to assess the effectiveness of restoration projects and beach nourishment efforts. Additionally, WDFW has recommended long-term monitoring of this site as forage fish spawn have been detected along this shoreline in the past.

Graph shows surf smelt eggs found at Little Squalicum Beach from 2025-2026. Total number of surf smelt eggs represent the combined counts at each of the 4 sites along Little Squalicum Beach, but site LSE-1 had the majority of the eggs. Data from 2026 only goes until April as WDFW has not yet processed the samples from May-September of 2026 due to capacity limitations.

Map showing the forage fish monitoring locations at Clayton Beach.

Clayton Beach

In partnership with the Salish Sea Alliance and the Skagit MRC, the Whatcom MRC conducts forage fish surveys at Clayton Beach every other month. The MRC collects bulk sediment samples from 2 locations that are randomly selected relative to an established midpoint on the beach.

These surveys are being conducted to provide pre-restoration data for a proposed nearshore restoration project at Clayton Beach that aims to remove rip rap along the beach and to fill the offshore dredge hole to restore 13 acres of eelgrass habitat.

Since the surveys began in October of 2023, four surf smelt eggs and one sand lance egg have been found. 

Forage Fish Monitoring