About the Shoreline Mapping Initiative
The Resilient Coasts for Salmon initiative has completed a five-year effort (2021 to 2026) to map shoreline features of concern along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. These features include shoreline modifications (such as seawalls and riprap), overwater structures (including piers and docks), and log accumulation. Man-made structures and excessive log buildup can disrupt natural coastal processes, degrade habitat quality, and impact species that rely on nearshore environments, including Pacific salmon. Learn more about the effects of these features below.
The Shoreline Mapping Atlas serves as a central platform to support researchers, planners, and community members in making informed decisions to promote sustainable coastal development, healthy ecosystems, and resilient shorelines.
Shoreline Mapping Results:
- Explore Resilient Coasts for Salmon data layers, including Shoreline Modifications, Overwater Structures, and Log Accumulation.
- Overlay additional layers, such as forage fish spawning habitat and sensitivity to sea level rise, to analyze our data within a broader context.
- Download datasets for further research and decision-making.
Additional Components:
- Community Reports to view localized shoreline assessments from several communities on the East Coast of Vancouver Island.
- Coastal Adaptation Reports to learn about strategies employed at the local governments scale in the CRD and Islands Trust regions.
- Spotlight Communities to explore high-level results from other coastal communities.
Resilient Coasts for Salmon Layers:
As a part of our mapping initiative, we are focused on tracking three main feature types:
Shoreline Modifications
Man-made structures like seawalls and riprap, often built to protect shoreline infrastructure, can actually exacerbate erosion by redirecting wave energy to nearby areas. These modifications also remove key intertidal habitats and food sources essential for the growth and survival of juvenile salmon and forage fish. By stripping away the natural complexity of coastal ecosystems, shoreline modifications reduce their capacity to support biodiversity and adapt to rising sea levels.
Overwater Structures
Overwater structures, like docks and piers, cast heavy shade that degrades nearshore habitat. Juvenile salmon avoid these shaded areas, which alters their natural foraging and migration patterns by forcing them into deeper waters. There, they expend more energy and face greater predation risk. The reduced light also limits the growth of essential habitats like eelgrass and algae, along with the diverse communities they support.
Log Accumulation
While logs are a natural part of coastal ecosystems, the escape of modified logs from log booms is leading to excessive accumulation. These logs can scour beaches, altering sediment composition and smothering nearshore vegetation. Unlike natural logs, modified logs are stripped of root balls and branches, making them unstable and prone to rolling across critical habitats that juvenile salmon and forage fish rely on for growth, food, and shelter.
To learn more about the impacts of shoreline modifications in the face of rising sea levels, check out our Climate Change Primer.
Explore Our Map
The map widgets in the sidebar can help you navigate the data and optimize your interactive experience. For additional guidance, please refer to our User Guide ADD LINK. We recommend using Google Chrome on a laptop or desktop for the best viewing experience.
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This map showcases the shoreline imagery that was used to build the Resilient Coasts for Salmon data layers. We are committed to the respectful and appropriate use of this imagery. If you notice any images that you would like removed or blurred, please contact us at . Your feedback is essential to the success of our mapping initiative. To share your thoughts, suggestions, and technical difficulties, please fill out our Feedback form.
Access the Data
Click the button below to access the Resilient Coasts for Salmon datasets in the Marine Data Portal . Here, you can download our data layers in various formats for your use. You’ll also find our protocols, which explain how the data was digitized, as well as data dictionaries that define key terminology. We encourage you to stay in touch and share how you’re utilizing the data!
To access datasets from external sources, click on a point within the desired layer on the interactive map. Then, scroll down in the pop-up window to find the ‘Access Layer Data’ button.
Community Reports
Click the squares below to explore reports for your community, each offering a localized assessment of shoreline alterations and log accumulation, along with recommendations for nature-based management.
Coastal Adaptation Reports
Check out the reports below to learn about the coastal adaptation strategies in place across the Capital Regional District (CRD) and Islands Trust regions, along with the barriers these communities face in implementing nature-based approaches.
Spotlight Communities
For these communities, we did not create full reports, but you can click the squares below to explore high-level results, including the extent of coastal modification, and download static maps of Resilient Coasts for Salmon data.
Additional Resources / Future Recommendations / /
- Marine Ecosystem Map: this is an interactive web-based data visualization platform, complete with over 450 layers of marine and coastal data for you to explore.
- Shore Zone: this initiative utilizes aerial surveys to inventory geomorphological and biological features of the shoreline.
- Maybe we could use the CRIMS https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/crims/
- Newsletter: Shoreline modification impacts on salmon: ???
- Newsletter Vol. 3: Nature-based solutions for climate change:
- Climate Change Primer:
- Toolkits:
- Field Guide to Shoreline Mapping:
- Insert text
The Mapping Initiative Team
Meet the team of dedicated individuals that are responsible for making this project possible. Click here to learn about other individuals who played key roles in different aspects of the Resilient Coasts for Salmon initiative.
Kyla Sheehan
Project Manager
As the project manager, Kyla has been leading the development of the mapping initiative from start to finish.
She led community outreach efforts, traveling to communities throughout the East Coast of Vancouver Island to share our educational resources and discuss the findings of the shoreline mapping initiative and its implications for coastal adaptation. Kyla played a hands-on role in the data digitization process, ground-truthing shorelines, analyzing imagery, and recording data to build the Resilient Coasts for Salmon data layers. Additionally, Kyla is one of two head writers on the Community Reports.
Maria Catanzaro
Projects Coordinator
Maria has been at the heart of the Resilient Coasts for Salmon initiative since its inception, bringing her meticulous attention to detail and extensive knowledge of nearshore habitats to drive the project forward.
She has played a key role in developing digitization protocols, analyzing shoreline imagery, and mapping coastal modification features that form the Resilient Coasts for Salmon data layers. Maria has also co-authored numerous educational resources, including Tool Kit articles and the Climate Change Primer, and has contributed as a lead author of the Community Reports.
Isobel Pearsall
Former Director, PSF Marine Science Program
Dr. Pearsall is the former Director of the Marine Science Program for the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
She developed the idea for the Resilient Coasts for Salmon initiative and authored the original proposal that secured funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada through the Climate Action and Awareness Fund. From 2021 to 2024, Dr. Pearsall provided oversight, guidance, and creative direction for the project. Thank you, Isobel, for making the Resilient Coasts for Salmon initiative possible.
Ben Skinner
GIS Specialist
As the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Ben has brought his extensive experience in spatial analysis and data management to the Resilient Coasts for Salmon initiative since its initial launch.
He has been instrumental in transforming Resilient Coasts for Salmon data into visually engaging static maps and informative analyses through GIS platforms and FME. These results feed directly into the Community Reports, providing actionable insights that will guide future efforts to build resilient shorelines and protect nearshore habitats.
Mitch Miller
Videographer and Vessel Captain
Mitch expertly navigated a 16-ft research vessel called Wilbur along over 500 km of rugged coastline from Victoria to Port McNeill. He coordinated the collection of high-resolution and 360° imagery using two professional-grade cameras. In areas where Wilbur couldn’t safely approach, he captained a small tender to maximize coverage of the shoreline. This extensive imagery dataset became the backbone of the Resilient Coasts for Salmon data layers, making the Mapping Initiative possible. Mitch also provided his videography and directorial skills in the creation of our Native Plant Nursery Tour, Shoreline Slope Restoration Project, Shoreline Mapping Initiative outreach videos, as well as our upcoming documentary on the restoration at Dyke Road Park in Comox, B.C.
Taylor Gardiner
Research Assistant
Taylor joined the Resilient Coasts team in 2025 as an intern while studying Marine Biology and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria.
During her ? months as part of the project team, Taylor was responsible for creating the Resilient Coasts for Salmon Atlas page and Interactive Map. The creation of this platform involved transforming and finessing the geospatial data, troubleshooting data storage considerations, adding user-friendly features, and creating engaging pages where the reports and results can be accessed easily by a wide audience. Taylor also assisted in creating the Marine Data Portal pages, where the data can be downloaded.
Natalia Garcia-Arias
Software Implementation Technician
Natalia joined the Resilient Coasts team in 2025 to support with the analysis of statistics presented within the Community Reports. Using a software platform called FME, she streamlined and refined workflows, accelerating the delivery of community-level analyses.
She first joined the Marine Data Centre as a co-op student studying Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. Before her involvement with the Mapping Initiative, Natalia applied her expertise to support data management and build a variety of other atlases, maps, and dashboards within the Data Centre.
Jerlyn Brutas
Research Assistant
Jerlyn joined the Resilient Coasts team in 2024 as a co-op student studying Applied Animal Biology at the University of British Columbia.
During her 8 months on the project team, Jerlyn produced two comprehensive Coastal Adaptation Reports detailing the coastal adaptation strategies and barriers to nature-based adaptation at the local government level. Jerlyn conducted interviews with local government staff and poured over documents such as Official Community Plans for both the Capital Regional District and the Islands Trust region. Jerlyn also represented the team in a webinar hosted by the Real Estate Institute of BC, as well as a presentation at the 2024 Pacific Estuarine Research Symposium.
Sophie Weissfloch
Research Assistant
Sophie joined the Resilient Coasts team in 2023 as a co-op student studying Quantitative Environmental Sciences and Math/Computer Science at the American University of Paris.
During her 4-month term, she initiated the digitization of overwater structures and log accumulation data, carefully analyzing high-resolution imagery to create digitized features in QGIS. Sophie also contributed to developing the methods used to digitize and describe these features, as detailed in the protocol document. She also helped to collect shoreline imagery on foot and by kayak in areas where Wilbur could not get close enough to shore.
Nicole Christiansen
Programs Coordinator, PSF Marine Science Program
As Programs Coordinator for PSF’s Marine Science Program, Nicole brings a diverse background in marine, estuary, and freshwater ecosystems to her work supporting the Resilient Coasts for Salmon initiative and the broader portfolio of Marine Science projects.
From 2021 to 2024, she contributed to building and maintaining the Resilient Coasts for Salmon website, creating printed resources, and writing and editing educational materials, including the Climate Change Primer. She also participated in key outreach events and workshops.
Wilbur
Research Vessel
Wilbur may be small, but this 16-ft research boat played a big part in the Resilient Coasts for Salmon Mapping Initiative!
Captained by Mitch Miller, Wilbur cruised along the shoreline from Victoria to Port McNeill, capturing imagery. Outfitted with two cameras, Wilbur recorded both 360° and high-resolution images, all linked to the boat’s GPS. In areas where Wilbur couldn’t navigate close to shore, imagery was collected by tender, kayak, or on foot.
With over 500 km traveled and 60,000 high-resolution images collected, Wilbur’s contributions were instrumental in building the dataset to support resilient shorelines.
Funders & Collaborators
Resilient Coasts for Salmon is a collaborative initiative led by the Pacific Salmon Foundation with contributors such as the Stewardship Centre for British Columbia, World Wildlife Fund – Canada, Peninsula Streams and Shorelines, and many others. Resilient Coasts for Salmon is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
