Articles
10th April 2008
Sandra Wood
Eye witness account from a guest who was standing on the Mansons Landing Dock enjoying the view, when a Steller Sea Lion leapt out of the ocean and grabbed a duck, then it beached itself on a swim grid at the back of a docked boat, and ate the duck for lunch!
Did you know that 75 percent of the World’s population of Steller Sea Lions has disappeared since 1980? As a result, they are currently on BC's RED list of Endangered Species.
We are blessed to still see a few of them around Cortes Island, since seventy percent of the survivors are living near Alaska according to the Vancouver Aquarium.
One might wonder why this Endangered Species, would make its home around our island. Despite having the occasional duck for lunch, their usual preferred diet is herring, salmon, cod, and rockfish. These larger fish are dependent on a little feeder fish called Sand Lance.
Studies have shown that Sand Lance amount to as much as 35% of the juvenile salmon diet. As a result, Sand Lance, which are fish no bigger than 5 to 8 inches in length, are receiving special attention for their value as an important forage fish.
In the near shore areas where planktonic larvae drift in spring, juvenile Sand Lance school up in summer and continue to feed on plankton, where they in turn become a favorite meal for salmon, sea birds, seals and other marine animals.
As the name implies, Sand Lance are fish that live in the sand, they have a peculiar habit of burrowing in bottom sands for protection from predators. Their long, flattened shape facilitates this burrowing behavior, which is also an important part of their spawning ritual. The health of Cortes Island's beaches and seabed is important to the entire food-chain.
If you see an endangered species like Sea Lions around Cortes Island we'd like to know! Please update the Tidelines Website with your local sightings by adding your own article, or send an e-mail, or simply click on the WRITE A COMMENT icon at the bottom of this article.
Did you know that 75 percent of the World’s population of Steller Sea Lions has disappeared since 1980? As a result, they are currently on BC's RED list of Endangered Species.
We are blessed to still see a few of them around Cortes Island, since seventy percent of the survivors are living near Alaska according to the Vancouver Aquarium.
One might wonder why this Endangered Species, would make its home around our island. Despite having the occasional duck for lunch, their usual preferred diet is herring, salmon, cod, and rockfish. These larger fish are dependent on a little feeder fish called Sand Lance.
Studies have shown that Sand Lance amount to as much as 35% of the juvenile salmon diet. As a result, Sand Lance, which are fish no bigger than 5 to 8 inches in length, are receiving special attention for their value as an important forage fish.
In the near shore areas where planktonic larvae drift in spring, juvenile Sand Lance school up in summer and continue to feed on plankton, where they in turn become a favorite meal for salmon, sea birds, seals and other marine animals.
As the name implies, Sand Lance are fish that live in the sand, they have a peculiar habit of burrowing in bottom sands for protection from predators. Their long, flattened shape facilitates this burrowing behavior, which is also an important part of their spawning ritual. The health of Cortes Island's beaches and seabed is important to the entire food-chain.
If you see an endangered species like Sea Lions around Cortes Island we'd like to know! Please update the Tidelines Website with your local sightings by adding your own article, or send an e-mail, or simply click on the WRITE A COMMENT icon at the bottom of this article.
