Ammodytes hexapterus: Pacific Sand lance, (Needle fish) : forage fish of Metchosin’s shoreline

See this post on Sandlance on Taylor Beach: gf-sandlance-july1320154

sandlance

Image from the  presentation below

One of the unusual characteristics of sandlance  on Taylor Beach is that in less  thAN a minute after emerging from the sand after spawning, If they are not consumed by crows or gulls, then they will die. ( so far I have not found this reported in the literature?)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Trachinoidea  (Bonaparte, 1832)
Genus: Ammodytes
Species: A. hexapteris
Binomial name Ammodytes hexapterus

Ramona de Graaf –2021 provides a good background on the importance of habitat for Forage Fish on our shores.

Metchosin Shoreline Report : MEASC 2013

The Metchosin Environmental Advisory Select Committee of  Metchosin District submitted this report to Council in June  2013.

See the complete report as a  PDF: Metchosin Shoreline Report 2013June 10-2

Executive Summary

The unique values attributed to the Coastal Areas of Metchosin have been recognized both historically and by outside researchers. They have also been outlined at length in the Official Community Plan and other documents produced for the District.

The objective of the Metchosin Shoreline Report is to provide Mayor and Council with a background document and decision-making tools for issues related to Metchosin’s shoreline environment: the jurisdictional boundaries are delineated; examples of ecologically sensitive areas are highlighted; and the biological and geographical values of eight zones of the forty-five km of shoreline are profiled.

The values of biodiversity, education, natural capital, aesthetics, philosophy, and ecotourism are all affected by our coastal areas. Therefore, the risks from human activity on the sustainability of these areas are emphasized.

With the increasing likelihood of changing climatic events impacting on our shoreline, and in order to mitigate these risks, a number of recommendations are proposed for the Municipality to implement:

  1. Create a development permit zone in the area between the end of provincial jurisdiction at the high water mark and the end of the high tide storm-driven wash on the landowner’s property.
  2. Prevent the human caused hardening of the shoreline by sea walls, roadways or bulkheading, and shoreline modifications.
  3. Design a “Coastal Covenant,” which landowners could sign, in order to guarantee the protection of the integrity of their section of shoreline.
  4. Establish and protect vegetation buffer zones along streams and along the total shoreline, including special attention to salt marshes and eelgrass beds.
  5. Protect eelgrass beds by eliminating damage from log booms, docks and other structures.
  6. Divert runoff of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides from streams and surrounding farmlands away from shoreline, salt marsh, and seagrass habitats.
  7. Develop emergency response plans for the District in the event of a land or ocean-based toxic spill, which could potentially threaten the shoreline.

See the complete report as a  PDF: Metchosin Shoreline Report 2013June 10-2

 

 

Apodichthys flavidus –penpoint gunnel

June 8, 2013: Charlie Carpenter my neighbour arrived from next door with a bucket with a 15cm. gunnel and cling-fish he had found down on the rocky intertidal at the mid-north section of Taylor Beach. We took this photo for the species list before returning it.

gfblenny3These gunnels live under the rocks which are exposed at low tide.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pholidae
Genus: Apodichthys
Species: A. flavidus
Binomial name Apodichthys flavidus, Girard, 1854

Tonicella lineata–Lined chiton

Tonicella lineata, the lined chiton : These photos taken in May, 2013 were submitted by Gretchen Markle . They were taken on the area known as Laird’s Beach  (on Parry Bay south of Taylor Road)

gmtonicella

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Polyplacophora
Order: Neoloricata
Family: Ischnochitonidae
Genus: Tonicella
Species: T. lineata
Binomial name:Tonicella lineata , Wood, 1815

Cryptolithoides sitchensis–turtle crab

Cryptolithoides sitchensis, the turtle crab : These photos taken in May, 2013 were submitted by Gretchen Markle . They were taken on the area known as Laird’s Beach  (on Parry Bay south of Taylor Road)

gmturtlecrab gmturtlecrab2p1030812Also see another more colourful example of this species found  at Christopher Point by a diving student in the Pearson College Marine Science class in October, 2014

 
Cryptolithoides sitchensis, turtle crab
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Anomura
Family: Lithodidae
Genus: Cryptolithodes
Species: C. sitchensis
Cryptolithodes sitchensis (Brandt, 1853 [1]