Hood Canal - dissolved oxygen and critters

[hoodcanal_waterwise]

Greeting all,

I'm recently new to the ScubaBoard (thanks for the opportunity), and have browsed several Hood Canal threads with interest.

Many comments have been of an inquisitive nature as to the condition of the canal and critters as related to recent news articles of death and dying.

I ask that you visit a recently established website dedicated to the issues, research, data and finding related to the low dissolved oxygen conditions.

I believe this may help to dispell some of the uncertainties broadcast in news reports and other less sauvy sources.

I look forward to your comments.

Enjoy.
Dan

 

[scubak]

Dan,
I would be interested in the website and gaining some honest information. But...what is the URL of the website?
Welcome to the forum!
Kirsten

 

[DeepDog]

Dan,
I would be interested in the website and gaining some honest information. But...what is the URL of the website?
Welcome to the forum!
Kirsten

Here you go.

Thanks Dan

 

[hoodcanal_waterwise]

Dan,
I would be interested in the website and gaining some honest information. But...what is the URL of the website?
Welcome to the forum!
Kirsten

Hey Kirsten,
Sorry for the omission...
www.hoodcanal.washington.edu
Dan

 

[Hank49]

Looking at it from a commercial aquaculturist's view, it's a junk pond design for successful commercial operation. The problem is there is no way to exchange water so with the inflow of nutrients, the bio-chemical oxygen (BOD) demand is ever increasing causing drops in DO (dissolved oxygen). It seems the only way to get new water into the canal on a regualr basis, which will decrease the BOD, is to blast the "sill" with dynamite. Otherwise it will most likely remain a stagnent pond type environment. If the shrimp were jumping along the sides of the water, I would guess the O2 was as low as 1.5 ppm. Of all the species I've farmed, that's the thresh hold level when they come to the surface as a last ditch effort to get O2.

 

[hoodcanal_waterwise]

Looking at it from a commercial aquaculturist's view, it's a junk pond design for successful commercial operation. The problem is there is no way to exchange water so with the inflow of nutrients, the bio-chemical oxygen (BOD) demand is ever increasing causing drops in DO (dissolved oxygen). It seems the only way to get new water into the canal on a regualr basis, which will decrease the BOD, is to blast the "sill" with dynamite. Otherwise it will most likely remain a stagnent pond type environment. If the shrimp were jumping along the sides of the water, I would guess the O2 was as low as 1.5 ppm. Of all the species I've farmed, that's the thresh hold level when they come to the surface as a last ditch effort to get O2.

Not surprisingly, we're apparently finding that Hood Canal is a more delicate marine system than could have been anticipated based on how the adjoining Puget Sound has been developed.
Puget Sound and Hood Canal are much different places based on the attributes that relate to dissolved oxygen and water quality issues.
Hood Canal has been a relatively undeveloped, rural place, but that is changing.
Recent local and national news reports have refered, albeit inappropriately, to the canal as a dead zone based on recent fish kills in the lower portions.
Hood Canal has a history of documented fish kills that have occured sporadically dating from the 1920s, but based on recent trends measurements the oxygen 'inventory' has decreased to its lowest level every recorded in 2004.
I'm just part of the process to inform folks. The data is accumulating and there is a need to share information in order to accurately portray the comples issues that are beyond speculation, simplification and slight sensationalism by the media.
Respectfully,
Dan