Just an FYI again!!!
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/139800-hood16.html
Hit seattle pi then search hood canal

I dont believe the oxegon levels are any different now than they have always been.
I think its just another way to phase sportsfishermen out of the equation.

If the oxegon levels were so low then how the hell did we have such a great shrimp season. if the oxegon levels are so low how come I was slaying bottomfish in 150 to 200 feet of water up to the time they closed it. How come the only fish washing up dead on the beach are perch which the beach seiners are dumping after they went bad because they wanted to go drinking instead of selling there catch.

THERE IS SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON!

I can not help but wonder if this is not a normal thing just newly discovered with the added atention of the new esa.

I dont see how with a twice a day tide flush....DJ

A good shot of rain will clear things right up.

The link to the article didn't work for me.

What I have observed is massive numbers of seals feeding around the river mouths (excess hatchery chums partly responsible?). I don't have trouble believing that their feces could lower the O2 levels. The fresh sea water from tides can't reach too far into the canal - the same water just goes back and forth.

Bring back the seal-eating orcas!

Its now at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/139559_tl115.html

The discussion in the paper is talking about pollutants from development. And they bring up the that the problem is with algae blooms dying.

This is a common problem in the Puget sound region, as typically lakes are phosphorous poor, and development brings in plenty in the form of silt. The incoming phosphorous brings larger blooms of algae that die when the light levels drop off. The decomposition of the algae uses oxygen at depth and causes for oxygen stress in the creatures that need it, rockfish, octopus and the like.

As to the shrimp season, I cannot say, but isn't shrimping confined to the norther part of the canal? The 02 problem only exists in Dabob Bay and points south.

Naturally, it wouldn't be politically correct for the P.I. to place any blame on animals. It's gotta be those damn greedy corporations.

But 10,000 seals each eating 50lbs of fish everyday creates a LOT of raw sewage - and algae thrives on raw sewage. I know that in the past, oyster gathering has been prohibited around Dabob bay and it was acknowledged that seal feces pollution was the reason.

Hood Canal shrimping mainly occurs from the Dabob Bay area and south to the "bend".

You sure about that?

Algae thrives on sunlight, not sewage. It's the algae die-offs that deplete the oxygen.

And seals contaminate with fecal coliform bacteria.......this is a totally different thing.

In any case, I don't think they can cite a cause at this time......it may just be a naturally occuring cycle.

Dan S,

sewage & algae

There is lots of similar info available.

Did you know that all seaweed is algae? It's more animal than plant. interesto...

I agree that there is no single reason for the problem. Silt is no doubt a contributing factor.

Phytoplankton are plants, zooplankton are animals. The phosphates and nitrates that are often found in sewage act as fertilizer.......add in abundant sunlight and you get an algae bloom. The blooms typically aren't as problematic as the depletion of oxygen that results when the blooms die off and decay.

Many scientists believe that these growth cycles of algae/plankton are what trigger Ice ages here on Earth.

Definitely some interesting reading on this subject..........

Hope something changes or my prop aint worth s**t!!!!A good storm would help.I used to have alot of oysters,seawead,clams,and fish around not much any more mostly dead stuff. IT's a bummer

i don't think anyone knows, but I'd bet its a manmade change.

Look at the canal, most of it has houses every 100' with septic systems, many of which leak. Not to mention suburban runoff. Phosphorous inputs etct. In lots of places, these sort of nutrient rich inputs cause algae blooms. Look at most of the lowland lakes in the US.

You don't see these problems in the sound because it flushes out so rapidly due to tidal flow. However it takes a much longer time for the canal to flush out. Compound nutrient increased inputs with a decreased capacity to filter out the plankton (heavily harvested or overharvested clams and oysters) and you have a recipe for algea blooms and low oxgen levels.

Just my $0.02

As I alluded to earlier, the excess seal population may be man-made, as well. It seems thay are very fond of hatchery chums.

And it is possible that human activities have discouraged the orcas from regularly munching seals in the canal as they may have done in the past.

Indeed. They used to venture into south Puget Sound on a regular basis.......now it's huge news when they venture into the sound at all.

Looks like they don't like company at meal time.

....except for last year when a big pod of seal munchers put a sizeable dent in the canal seal community.

I thought O2 depletion in Hood Canal has been going on for as long as I can remember. The canal is long with a very narrow entrance, so it has a very long flushing cycle, compared even to Puget Sound. It seems likely that it's exacerbated by pollution from development, but I didn't think this was something new.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I've heard that the bigger crabs go out into deeper water, especially this summer as the water temp went up with the prolonged drought.

Hood Canal is a fjord. Fjords are naturally hypoxic(low oxygen levels). If you were to look at it from a side view, you'd be looking at a deep-dish plate. The entrance is indeed narrow as well as "shallow". In a typical fjord, there is a sill on the sea floor at the entrance.

Since we're now in the summer time, very little freshwater flows into the Canal. As a result, there is less oxygen available. I don't recall that there have been particularly high winds in that region lately. Wind or lack of wind affects dissolved oxygen levels throughout the water column.

Additionally, since there is little to no current down on the bottom of Hood Canal, oxygen is not abundant.

Also, summer is the time when all fish are growing, especially juveniles. As a result, the high number of fish(in comparison to winter time) means that the available oxygen is rapidly depleted.

I have not fished Hood Canal at all so I cannot say anything about the current and direction of water flow. But I would suspect that tidal flushing only affects the upper layer of water.

To my knowledge, the vast majority of Hood Canal's west side is developed in some way. Bulkheads and seawalls protect waterfront homes while increasing the erosive power of the waves. Riprap by the highway's edge also alters habitat. McDonald's Cove is altered by the jetty that creates a mini-harbor for the commercial fishing boat moored there. The few undeveloped areas are the estuaries of the major rivers.

Because so much shoreline has been lost, most of what is left are cobble strewn, oyster laden rocky beaches with very sparse spawning gravel for forage fish. Accordingly, forage fish populations have decreased in this particular region.

Sadly, new houses are still being contructed on the shores of Hood Canal. It would seem that waterfront homes are more important than enforcement of the shoreline protection act.