Salish Sea Symbiosis
MADISON CHURCHILL
Madison Churchill is a cold-water free diver, conservationist, and loves nothing better than drawing or writing about her favourite thing: the underwater world. Teaming up with talented photographer Hannah Gabrielson in the next article of her 2-part series; she writes about the interconnectedness of the Pacific Northwest marine ecosystem (the Salish Sea), and takes us on a journey underneath the waves, to see the many unearthly delights that can be found in this little corner of the world. Enjoy!
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
The Pacific Northwest Salish Sea is made up of various ecosystem functions working in tandem. Intricate webs of species connect together to create a lively underwater world. Take a dip underwater and you are likely to see vast kelp forests, home to shoals of fish, urchins, sea stars, seals, sea lions, and many other members of the community. Some of them are prey, some predators, but all of them need each other to thrive. From the smallest micro-invertebrates to the largest whales, this environment exists in a finely tuned evolutionary balance.
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
Growing at a speed of up to two feet per day, bull kelp is a key habitat. Widespread kelp forests are home to many types of fish including salmon and herring, providing shelter from large predators. The presence of these small prey species brings attention from larger predators like seals, otters, and orcas. These lush underwater forests weave their way through coastal waters, creating a foundation for native marine life.
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
Pinnipeds such as harbor seals slink through the dark kelp forests, stalking prey. Some pinnipeds are highly social and may be heard barking to one another from shore. Underwater they are sleek and silent with excellent hearing, making them deadly hunters of fish and invertebrates. They typically return to the same breeding grounds year in and year out, calling the small scattered islands their home.
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
Harbor seals, California sea lions, and Steller’s sea lions are just a few of the apex predators that help to keep fish and invertebrate populations in check. Without their presence, the system quickly responds with overpopulation of their prey. Urchins begin to bloom in hyperdrive and decimate kelp forests, creating urchin barrens. Although they’re a predator in their niche, pinnipeds often fall prey to a much larger species…
Perhaps the most iconic predator in the Salish Sea is the orca. The “transient” mammal-eating orcas share the water with the fish-eating “resident” orcas, making up two very distinct populations who call this water home. Both species are highly communicative groups with complex social hierarchies. These whales rely on healthy fish and seal populations to thrive.
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
Thus, large or small, each species in this system is a key puzzle piece to the overall health. The flora and fauna cooperate seamlessly to provide food and habitat to hundreds of different aquatic or coastal species.
Diving in the Pacific Northwest, you are immediately met with rich green kelp forests, brightly coloured invertebrates, and shimmering shoals of herring. Becoming a piece of this icy cold ecosystem, you see first-hand how successfully everything fits together. This network of species is powerful and resilient, yet vulnerable and unforgiving. Every creature provides a key role in its niche, existing symbiotically together. The towering kelp strands, the roaming whales, the brightly coloured anemones and sea stars, and the fog of phytoplankton, all connects us. When we inhale, we are breathing oxygen created by the smallest creatures in the ocean.
And so, everything is connected.
Photo: Hannah Gabrielson @hannah_gabrielson
If you’ve enjoyed this article from Madison Churchill, follow her here @chadisonmurchill. Check out PNW protectors website and follow them here @pnwprotectors.
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