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, including 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 Results:
- Community Reports to explore key findings from communities on the East Coast of Vancouver Island.
- Coastal Adaptation Reports to learn about strategies employed at the local governments scale in the Capital Regional District and Islands Trust regions.
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. We recommend using a laptop or desktop for the best viewing experience.
Your feedback is essential to our mapping initiative. Please use the Feedback button in the top right corner of the map to share your thoughts and suggestions.
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 Data Here’ button.
Community Reports
Click the squares below to read community reports and explore our findings for your community.
Coastal Adaptation Reports
Check out the reports below that explore what coastal adaptation strategies the Capital Regional District and Islands Trust regions have in place, and what have been barriers they face to implementing nature-based approaches in those communities
The Resilient Coasts for Salmon Team
Meet the team of dedicated individuals that are responsible for making this project possible.
Kyla Sheehan
Project Manager
Kyla is responsible for leading the Resilient Coasts for Salmon community outreach components and the mapping initiative.
Maria Catanzaro
Project Coordinator
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Mitch Miller
Photographer
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Isobel Pearsall
Former Director of PSF Marine Science Program
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Taylor Gardiner
Research Assistant
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Jerlyn Brutas
Research Assistant
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Sophie Weissfloch
Research Assistant
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Wilbur
Research Vessel
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To get know the other part of the team that helped with differen components – link to RC4S team page NEEDS EDITIING
Additional Resources
- Pacific Toxics Contaminants Map Explorer: this contains over 200 maps depicting information and datasets relating to contaminants in the environment as well as physical features, human use, natural resources, and sensitive and protected areas within the province.
- Pacific Toxics Contaminants Database Search Engine: a geographically referenced searchable database of published literature relating to environmental contaminants in the Georgia Basin and other areas in British Columbia.
- Water Rangers Water Quality Open Data Platform: an online tool to help community members/groups collect, manage and share water quality data.
- Langley Environmental Partners Society Water Quality Testing Atlas: an interactive web map georeferencing water sampling events taken place to look for fecal coliform levels in drinking water.
- Canada-B.C. Water Quality Monitoring Program – Interactive Map: an interactive web map that displays monitoring stations that are a part of the Canada-B.C. Water Quality Monitoring Program
- Real-time Water Data Tool – Province of British Columbia: this tool is a repository of continuous surface, groundwater and snow data from monitoring stations across the province.
- Automated Fresh Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Data – ECCC Data Catalogue: Historical water quality data measured on a continuous basis at over 23 locations across Canada is included in this dataset.
- Washington State Department of Ecology’s Environmental Information Management Database:
- EIM search
- Explore various long-term monitoring programs and their collected data. Relevant programs include (but are not limited to):
- Persistent, Bioaccumulative Toxics (PBTs) – Assessment of PBTs in environmental Media, including mercury in fish and organic PBTs in sediment cores, 2005 to present
- Freshwater Fish Contaminants – Characterization of toxic chemicals in freshwater fish, 2001 to present
- Water Rangers Water Quality Open Data Platform: an online tool to help community members/groups collect, manage and share water quality data.
- National Pollutant Release Inventory Data Search Tool: use this tool to search detailed information on pollutant releases (to air, water and land), disposals and transfers for recycling reported by facilities to the NPRI. You can also use this tool to display facility data by location, sector and substance as well as to view pollution prevention information.
- National Pollutant Release Inventory Dashboard: this dashboard provides a visual interface for users to view and interact with NPRI data.
- Oceanwise Pollution Tracker: a coast-wide monitoring program for British Columbia that documents the levels and trends of hundreds of contaminants of concern in mussels and nearshore ocean sediments.
- Disposal at sea- environmental monitoring of disposal sites: this program conducts monitoring studies of the environmental conditions at representative disposal sites each year
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Toxics Biological Observation System: WDFW’s TBiOS team monitors the geographic extent and magnitude of toxic contaminants in fish and other organisms living in Puget Sound, Washington’s portion of the Salish Sea.
- Environmental Contaminants program: the Environmental Contaminants Program (ECP) is a funding opportunity that supports BC First Nation community-based research projects that explore the link between human health and environmental contaminants..
Our Partners
The Marine Data Centre has been supported by grants from the Sitka Foundation. We extend our sincere appreciation to every donor who has generously supported us over the years. Initial development was guided by the advice and assistance of Art Tautz MOE (retired), Terry Curran, IOS (retired), Alistair Blachford (retired), Brad Mason (CMN), Rob Knight (CMN), Gordon Miller (PBS library, DFO), Sally Taylor (UBC) and many others. We have also greatly benefited from the invaluable contributions of many co-ops and interns, Mathew Vis-Dunbar (Librarian services), and Mitch Miller (Miller Videography). Thank you to the ceaseless assistance of our web developer, Nick Murray of Mountain Air Web.
Last, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Marine Data Centre founder Dr. Isobel Pearsall, whose vision and dedication have been instrumental in advancing our understanding and management of the region’s marine environment.
