SIMRES Urchin Camera Live Stream скачать в хорошем качестве

SIMRES Urchin Camera Live Stream

Welcome to the SIMRES Underwater Camera. Join the discussion at SIMRES SeaCam Observers.   / 639455542345262   This underwater camera has been installed by SIMRES to monitor an urchin barren in Boundary Pass, off Saturna Island in the Salish Sea, BC. This site was once a thriving bull kelp forest, but in recent years, it has been overtaken by red and green sea urchins—resulting in the near disappearance of kelp in the area. Healthy kelp beds are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. They provide critical shelter, habitat, and food for a wide range of marine life, including salmon, herring and other forage fish, rockfish, and many invertebrates. Marine mammals like orcas and humpbacks are frequently seen foraging near this location. When kelp ecosystems decline, the entire food web—from fish to whales—is affected. Kelp forests play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance and building resilience against climate change. They reduce the energy of waves and storm surges, helping to protect shorelines from erosion. Kelp also sequesters large amounts of carbon, which helps buffer ocean acidification and mitigate climate impacts. In a healthy ecosystem, urchin populations are kept in check, but when predators are lost, urchins can multiply rapidly and devastate kelp forests. Historically, this region had two main urchin predators: sea otters, which were hunted to local extinction in the 1800s for the fur trade, and sunflower sea stars, which were decimated by Sea Star Wasting Disease beginning in 2013–14. With these predators gone, urchin populations have exploded, consuming most of the bull kelp along a 3-kilometre stretch of shoreline—from East Point in Gulf Islands National Park Reserve to the western edge of the Cliffside area. SIMRES, Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Tsawout First Nations are working together to develop a management plan to restore balance and kelp beds in this affected area. This camera is part of a long-term monitoring project. It collects continuous data, allowing researchers to track ecological changes over time. If you’re a researcher interested in this data, SIMRES is storing and sharing it. You can apply to access the dataset by contacting us at [email protected]. With gratitude to the Pacific Salmon Foundation and our generous donors for making this project possible.