Salish Sea Marine Survival Project researchers examined how juvenile chum and chinook salmon use eelgrass beds in the Comox estuary, British Columbia. They found that eelgrass habitat provided food resources for juvenile chum and chinook salmon. Juvenile chinook salmon fed on invertebrate prey associated with eelgrass habitat and planktonic prey not associated with eelgrass. Juvenile chum relied highly on eelgrass habitats for foraging; approximately 80% of their diets were eelgrass-associated prey. The nearshore foraging opportunities provided by eelgrass may support healthy growth for salmon transitioning from rivers to the ocean. Read more: Kennedy et al. (2018) Eelgrass as valuable nearshore foraging habitat for juvenile Pacific salmon in the early marine period. DOI: 10.1002/mcf2.10018
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