Tracking Dungeness Crab Across the Salish Sea
Community science for crabs
Driven by communities and led by the Hakai Institute, Sentinels of Change is a decade-long project that uses light traps to investigate the ecology and dynamics of a critically important species in our inland sea: Dungeness crab.
The first year of our project had one trap on the Sunshine Coast within a network that spanned the Salish Sea. This year there are three more (does Gibsons count?). Throughout the spring and summer, groups of dedicated volunteers check the traps regularly and watch the crabs (and other species) come and go.
Join us to hear about our findings so far and how important community science is in our efforts to understand ecosystems and environmental change.
About Heather Earle
Heather is a marine ecologist with the Hakai Institute and project lead for Sentinels of Change. She works with communities and scientists across the Salish Sea to monitor nearshore ecosystems and track change.
Additional resources
Sentinals of Change – Hakai Institute
The project establishes a network of community partners to work together to observe and investigate patterns of invertebrate reproduction and recruitment within this complex and dynamic natural and social seascape.