Trends in Abundance and Composition of Forage Fish Across Puget Sound: A Fragmented 30-Year Comparison

Despite growing concerns about the productivity of forage fish stocks, few datasets exist to evaluate long-term trends. To address this information gap, we compiled data collected by four research groups between 1970 and 2009 using identical Kodiak surface trawl gear in four basins of Puget Sound. Composition in Central and South Puget Sound has shown marked change since the mid-1970s, primarily due to declines of surf smelt and Pacific herring. In contrast, Whidbey and Rosario Basin (composed of Padilla and Bellingham Bays) did not exhibit strong compositional changes, and abundance of all species remained variable. We examine these patterns in light of Sound-wide trawling data collected in 2011.