As a partner in the BEACH Program, from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year, the Tribe collects weekly water quality data and water samples at Kayak Point County Park.  These samples are analyzed by the WA Dept of Ecology for the presence of bacteria harmful to human health. The mission of the BEACH Program is to reduce the risk of disease for people who play in saltwater.

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/beach/

The European Green Crab is an invasive species recently detected in Washington and researchers are implementing extensive monitoring networks for detection and tracking. Natural Resources staff currently monitor two sites on the North end of Port Susan. Fortunately, there have yet to be any detections at our sites.

https://wsg.washington.edu/crabteam/

Mussels are filter feeders and thus can act as an indicator for water quality. Tribal staff annually deploy and retrieve cages filled with mussels over the winter that are then sent to a lab for analysis.  While Port Susan samples have contained toxins, they are typically cleaner than other sites in Puget Sound.

As a Sound Toxins partner, the Tribe collects and identifies marine phytoplankton throughout the year at Kayak Point State Park.  Managed by the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Washington Sea Grant, the Sound Toxins program aims to provide sufficient warning of harmful algal blooms and toxic algae events to enable early or selective harvesting of seafood, thereby minimizing risks to human health and reducing economic losses to Puget Sound fisheries. This is important because many areas in Port Susan are now open to recreational, subsistence, and commercial shellfish harvest.  Kayak Point is one of several dozen sampling sites throughout the Puget Sound. Check out our Data page to view the list of current phytoplankton caught off of Kayak Point Park in Port Susan.

http://soundtoxins.org/

A combination of water and tissue samples were collected to measure the ambient toxin loads in the Stillaguamish River and Port Susan Bay.

In 2019 the Stillaguamish Tribe began participating in the Puget Sound Zooplankton Sampling Program.  The aim of the program is to better understand the food (prey) available for juvenile salmon migrating out to sea, as well as the health of the waters through which they travel.

Tribal staff sample zooplankton monthly from February through October by towing large nets through the water in Saratoga Passage.  The Tribe is a partner in a large collaborative effort involving eleven different entities that collect biweekly zooplankton samples throughout Puget Sound.

Monitoring zooplankton communities in Puget Sound sub-basins allows researchers to develop robust ways of measuring ecosystem health. These “metrics” can us to help evaluate the impact physical changes such as temperature, oxygen, and land based nutrients have on the Puget Sound food web.  This information lends guidance towards salmon management and Puget Sound stewardship.