Scores of microscopic eggs revealed from Willows Beach sediment serve as a retirement reward for Tony Otten.
He’s scoured beaches from Saanich to Esquimalt for more than two years, scooping and sending samples off in search of evidence of forage fish on local shorelines.
On Jan. 11 his effort paid off with the first detection of surf smelt eggs at the Oak Bay beach, an exciting breakthrough that underscores the importance of long-term monitoring and shoreline stewardship, according to Peninsula Streams and Shorelines (PSS). It’s a milestone in forage fish conservation, according to PSS, the organization that directs the community-led science program Otten volunteers with.
Forage fish are the foundation of a healthy marine ecosystem, serving as a crucial food source for salmon, seabirds, and marine mammals. They provide the vital link between the ocean’s lower and upper food chain, sustaining species that coastal communities and fisheries rely on, explained Chloe Kraemer, beach program coordinator with PSS. Surf smelt and Pacific sand lance – two key species – spawn directly in the intertidal zones of sand and gravel beaches, leaving one-millimetre eggs incubating for weeks.
However, these delicate habitats are increasingly threatened by shoreline development, pollution, and the cumulative effects of climate change. By gathering long-term spawning data, scientists and conservationists can pinpoint critical habitats, inform restoration and beach nourishment efforts, and advocate for coastal policies that protect these vital spawning grounds, Kraemer said.
Since 2018, volunteers with the program have monitored where and when surf smelt and Pacific sand lance spawn along the beaches from Sidney to Sooke.
Retired now, Otten was looking for something to do when he volunteered at the Goldstream Hatchery, which led to his membership and involvement with the Peninsula Streams and Shoreline Society and eventually – scouring the shores for evidence of forage fish.
“I figured forage fish might be a great way to volunteer,” he said. At that time someone was trying to cover off the Oak Bay area, but volunteers were stretched thin, so he took it on.
Kraemer describes surveying for forage fish eggs as being like reverse gold mining – a large sample of sand from the upper intertidal zone of a beach is passed through a series of sieves before entering a water vortex, where lighter material like eggs and the finest sediment float to the middle and get captured on a screen. This condensed sample is then carefully analyzed under the microscope in search of forage fish eggs by trained PSS volunteer microscopists. The data collected from these surveys is publicly available on the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Marine Data Centre and used by environmental managers across sectors.
The work is funded by municipalities such as Oak Bay, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and TD Friends of the Environment.
At first, Otten did it as a father/daughter thing alongside Susan Hensen, who happens to have the science degree to back it up. Now the team lead has a handful of volunteers to rely on. For years they covered beaches from Spoon Bay in Oak Bay to Songhees and Esquimalt.
“For the first two years we didn’t find one egg,” Otten said. “We were doing 35 different testing locations, some that had never been done before. We’d tested Willows Beach multiple times.”
Then last fall two tiny eggs emerged in Spoon Bay, one over toward Oak Bay from Cadboro Bay, and they found one egg of undetermined species at McMicking Point. Myriad testing sites near Willows yielded nothing.
With such modest numbers, and no eggs found since sampling there started in 2019, expectations were low.
That all changed with a Jan. 11 survey near the Bodhi frog sculpture. He dropped the samples for his daughter, and headed back out. He was stunned when she texted to say there were eggs.
“I went out immediately and did another one at a bench at the south end of the beach, and did two more tests there,” Otten said.
Kraemer also went out and surveyed, finding more eggs near the north end of the beach. Otten’s team uncovered more near Estevan.
They went out on the spur of the moment (Feb 2.) because the weather and tides were right and scored samples that showed 35 eggs, Otten said.
“This discovery reinforces the importance of ongoing monitoring, the call for public awareness of the sensitive spawning habitats that exist on our beaches, and the need to protect and restore these crucial beaches before they become unsuitable for spawning,” Kraemer said.
Water quality has been a challenge at that particular beach, Otten said. While processing other sites in the region little plankton and shrimp are frequently visible in the water samples. The Willows samples tend to be devoid of that life.
“It’s a very significant find and I have no idea why suddenly this year we’re getting eggs at Willows Beach, it’s inexplicable. It’s a good thing, but it’s surprising,” Otten said. “It’s a very exciting find, very motivational for us of course. We’re very hopeful it’s a trend that will continue.”
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