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Barriers to tidal connectivity are of major concern to the three Fish Habitat Partnerships (FHPs) that work to improve, restore and conserve fish habitats along the US West Coast. The negative impacts of these barriers include (but are not limited to) impeding fish passage,  sediment processes interference,  water quality degradation, and alterations of the array of fish habitats within estuaries. The Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP), the California Fish Passage Forum (CFPF), and the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) are collaborating on a project to identify science and data gaps associated with barriers along the coast, and to identify actions they can take individually and collaboratively to drive lasting solutions to the negative impacts of these barriers on fish and fish habitats.

With generous funding from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the collaborating FHPs recently held a Barriers to Tidal Connectivity Symposium. The one-day symposium brought together experts in the field to explore:

• History of tidal barriers in the US West Coast
• Functional impacts of barriers to tidal connectivity
• Fish passage needs
• Tidegate effectiveness
• Climate change and tidal barriers
• Tidal barrier datasets

More than 300 people attended the Symposium.

You can find more information about the Symposium, including the agenda, recorded presentations and the list of speakers HERE.

We’re happy to welcome Carrie Byron, Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) Program Manager at the Puget Sound Partnership, to the PMEP Steering Committee! Carrie manages a salmon habitat protection and restoration grant program that supports local priority and regional large capacity salmon recovery projects throughout Puget Sound. Before coming to the Partnership, she worked at the Washington State Department of Ecology, where she managed the Watershed Protection and Restoration Lead Organization grant from EPA’s National Estuary Program. Carrie has also served as the Marine and Nearshore Lead for EPA’s Puget Sound Team and coordinated the Department of Ecology’s Coastal Zone Management Program for five years, where she oversaw the state’s Shoreline Master Program Grants program. She has a Master of Marine Affairs and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs and Evans School of Public Affairs, respectively, and a B.A. in English from Whitman College. Carrie lives in Seattle and enjoys practicing yoga, hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoors with her family in her spare time.

The Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP) is seeking project proposals that benefit nursery habitats for PMEP focal species within smaller estuarine and nearshore waters along the West Coast.

To apply for funding, interested applicants should complete and submit the online application. Please read the full Request for Proposals for instructions regarding what information to include and the preferred format for information. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The deadline for project proposal submissions is 5:00PM PST, Friday, October 30, 2020.

Access the full Request for Proposals here.