California anchovy (Engraulis mordax) schools

Observation: Schools of California anchovy (Engraulis mordax) were observed along the southwest shores of Bowen Island, Tunstall Bay to Cape Roger Curtis. For over a year, great schools of anchovy have been swimming in the waters of Howe Sound. The re-appearance of anchovy, along with other prey fish, have drawn the return of whales, salmon, orcas and seabirds and are a critical foundation for the ongoing Great Howe Sound Recovery. These awe-inspiring masses of anchovy are magnificent in their own right and deserve our celebration. I have posted a video of anchovy schools off Bowen Island at Cape Roger Curtis and Tunstall Bay. The more I talk to people in the know, the more I conclude that anchovy have been a major factor in the recent remarkable abundance of salmon, whales, and sea lions around Bowen and in Howe Sound. So anchovies rule my life right now! - Bob Turner, Bowen Island, BC, Canada.

LEO BC coordinator comment: California anchovies (Engraulis mordax) become abundant in the Northeast Pacific during the Eastern Pacific Cool Phase (Chavez et al 2003), and so the presence or abundance of this species is an indicator of this cool phase. It is interesting that the California anchovy seems to increase in numbers at the tail end of the anomalously warm water period characterized by "The Blob" of warm water in the North Pacific. As Mr Turner suggested, the California anchovy is a very important forage fish in the California Current that supports a broad variety of higher trophic level species, and indeed indicates a shift to a different, possibly more productive coastal oceanographic regime. An examination of shifts in oceanography and Plankton communities would be valuable and understanding this recent emergence of California anchovy in Canada specific marine ecosystems.- Tom Okey, Ocean Integrity Research and the University of Victoria.

Video:

California anchovy schools off Bowen Island at Cape Roger Curtis and Tunstall Bay

References:

Chavez, F.P., Ryan, J., Lluch-Cota, S.E. and Ñiquen, M., 2003. From anchovies to sardines and back: Multidecadal change in the Pacific Ocean. Science, 299(5604), pp.217-221.

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