Your knowledge and perceptions of West Coast Vancouver Island coastal-marine ecosystems Survey

Your knowledge and perceptions of West Coast Vancouver Island coastal-marine ecosystems

A new coastal and ocean planning process is underway on the West Coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI), British Columbia (see Figure below). This survey is the first opportunity to participate in the development of an ocean and coastal management plan for the WCVI. Your answers will support this effort, which is led by West Coast Aquatic (management board; www.westcoastaquatic.ca).

The survey's purpose is to understand your perceptions of the areas' ecological status ("health") and trends; the patterns of use and their potential effects; your activities, values, and objectives for the area; and your ideas about management solutions.

We are also seeking any particular ecological knowledge of the area and marine resources that you might like to share.

The survey takes about 30 minutes. Please skip any questions you don't want to answer.

The following map highlights six coastal planning units of the West Coast (Vancouver Island) Aquatic Management Area, which faces southwest.

Image as described above

1. Do you think it is helpful to apply the concept of ‘health’ to ecosystems?

Do you think it is helpful to apply the concept of ‘health’ to ecosystems? Very

Somewhat

Not really

Never

Not sure

Why or why not?

2. In your opinion, what makes an ecosystem healthy?

In your opinion, what makes an ecosystem healthy?

3. How healthy do you think the marine areas of the following coastal-marine ecosystems currently are?

	Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Kyuquot Sound	How healthy do you think the marine areas of the following coastal-marine ecosystems currently are? Kyuquot Sound Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Nootka Sound	Nootka Sound Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Clayoquot Sound	Clayoquot Sound Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Barkley Sound	Barkley Sound Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Alberni Inlet	Alberni Inlet Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Ditidaht Sound	Ditidaht Sound Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Pacheedaht Sound	Pacheedaht Sound Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Offshore of surf line	Offshore of surf line Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge
Entire WCVI Area	Entire WCVI Area Very Healthy	Somewhat Healthy	Somewhat Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	I can't judge

4. How do you think the health of these marine ecosystems is changing?

	Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Kyuquot Sound	How do you think the health of these marine ecosystems is changing? Kyuquot Sound Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Nootka Sound	Nootka Sound Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Clayoquot Sound	Clayoquot Sound Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Barkley Sound	Barkley Sound Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Alberni Inlet	Alberni Inlet Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Ditidaht Sound	Ditidaht Sound Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Pacheedaht Sound	Pacheedaht Sound Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Offshore of surf line	Offshore of surf line Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge
Entire WCVI Area	Entire WCVI Area Greatly Improving	Somewhat Improving	Not Changing	Somewhat Declining	Greatly Declining	I can't judge

5. If you think the ecology of these marine areas is changing, how rapidly do you think this change is occurring?

	Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Kyuquot Sound	If you think the ecology of these marine areas is changing, how rapidly do you think this change is occurring? Kyuquot Sound Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Nootka Sound	Nootka Sound Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Clayoquot Sound	Clayoquot Sound Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Barkley Sound	Barkley Sound Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Alberni Inlet	Alberni Inlet Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Ditidaht Sound	Ditidaht Sound Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Pacheedaht Sound	Pacheedaht Sound Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Offshore of surf line	Offshore of surf line Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge
Entire WCVI Area	Entire WCVI Area Very Slowly	Somewhat Slowly	Moderate Rate	Somewhat Fast	Very Fast	I can't judge

6. Please rank the degree of stress you think each activity exerts on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. (Definition of Stress: although 'natural disturbances' within ecosystems are part of what makes biological communities healthy, 'stress' is taken here to mean disturbances, forces, or agents that are 'exotic' in character, frequency, or magnitude to what the biological community is adapted to experience).

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Aquaculture	Please rank the degree of stress you think each activity exerts on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. (Definition of Stress: although 'natural disturbances' within ecosystems are part of what makes biological communities healthy, 'stress' is taken here to mean disturbances, forces, or agents that are 'exotic' in character, frequency, or magnitude to what the biological community is adapted to experience). Aquaculture Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Agriculture	Agriculture Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Coastline development (including float-homes)	Coastline development (including float-homes) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Energy (oil/gas/methane exploration)	Energy (oil/gas/methane exploration) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Energy (renewables; wave/wind/river)	Energy (renewables; wave/wind/river) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Fisheries (commercial)	Fisheries (commercial) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Fisheries (recreational)	Fisheries (recreational) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Fisheries (subsistence)	Fisheries (subsistence) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Forestry	Forestry Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Global change (e.g. climate)	Global change (e.g. climate) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Invasive species / disease	Invasive species / disease Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Mining	Mining Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Recreation / tourism (non-extractive; e.g. kayaking)	Recreation / tourism (non-extractive; e.g. kayaking) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Shipping / Boating	Shipping / Boating Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Watershed modification	Watershed modification Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Other water pollution	Other water pollution Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

7. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of FINFISH AQUACULTURE exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Nutrient enrichment	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of FINFISH AQUACULTURE exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems Nutrient enrichment Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Toxic pollutants	Toxic pollutants Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Habitat effects	Habitat effects Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Parasites / disease	Parasites / disease Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Genetic mixing	Genetic mixing Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

8. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Nutrient enrichment	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems Nutrient enrichment Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Toxic pollutants	Toxic pollutants Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Habitat effects	Habitat effects Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Parasites / disease	Parasites / disease Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Genetic mixing	Genetic mixing Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

9. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of SHIPPING and BOATING exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems.

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Antifouling paint	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of SHIPPING and BOATING exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. Antifouling paint Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Discrete oil spills	Discrete oil spills Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Fuel and oil leakage	Fuel and oil leakage Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Oil dumping and burning	Oil dumping and burning Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Invasive species transport	Invasive species transport Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Sewage effluent	Sewage effluent Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Noise pollution	Noise pollution Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Other pollution	Other pollution Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

10. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of ENERGY RELATED ACTIVITIES exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems.

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Hydropower	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of ENERGY RELATED ACTIVITIES exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. Hydropower Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Offshore oil, gas, methane exploration	Offshore oil, gas, methane exploration Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Tanker traffic	Tanker traffic Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Wave energy development	Wave energy development Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Wind energy development	Wind energy development Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Other renewables	Other renewables Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

11. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of FISHING exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems.

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Overfishing	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of FISHING exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. Overfishing Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Bycatch	Bycatch Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Habitat damage	Habitat damage Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Illegal & unreported catch	Illegal & unreported catch Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Pollution	Pollution Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Processing	Processing Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

12. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of GLOBAL CHANGE exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems.

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Changes in productivity & upwelling	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of GLOBAL CHANGE exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. Changes in productivity & upwelling Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Lowered oxygen in ocean	Lowered oxygen in ocean Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Ocean acidification	Ocean acidification Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Salinity changes	Salinity changes Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Sea level rise & coastal inundation	Sea level rise & coastal inundation Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Snowpack and precipitation changes	Snowpack and precipitation changes Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Storm activity changes (frequency & magnitude)	Storm activity changes (frequency & magnitude) Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Water temperature changes	Water temperature changes Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Associated biological changes	Associated biological changes Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

13. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of FORESTRY exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems.

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Changes in water runoff	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of FORESTRY exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. Changes in water runoff Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Debris in rivers	Debris in rivers Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Erosion and sediment runoff	Erosion and sediment runoff Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Forest biodiversity loss	Forest biodiversity loss Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Log booms	Log booms Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Nutrient changes	Nutrient changes Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Road construction	Road construction Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Water temp changes	Water temp changes Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

14. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of WATERSHED MODIFICATION exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems.

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	HIgh	Don't know
Agriculture	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these aspects of WATERSHED MODIFICATION exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems. Agriculture Low	Medium low	Medium high	HIgh	Don't know
Forestry	Forestry Low	Medium low	Medium high	HIgh	Don't know
Lake & river alterations	Lake & river alterations Low	Medium low	Medium high	HIgh	Don't know
Mining	Mining Low	Medium low	Medium high	HIgh	Don't know
Roads & town expansion	Roads & town expansion Low	Medium low	Medium high	HIgh	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

15. Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these sources of WATER POLLUTION exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems (through water pollution).

	Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Agriculture	Please rank the relative degree of stress you think these sources of WATER POLLUTION exert on the health of WCVI marine ecosystems (through water pollution). Agriculture Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Aquaculture	Aquaculture Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Atmospheric emissions fallout	Atmospheric emissions fallout Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Energy development	Energy development Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Forestry	Forestry Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Industrial point sources	Industrial point sources Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Municipal sewage	Municipal sewage Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Pulp and paper mills	Pulp and paper mills Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Recreational activities	Recreational activities Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Ships and boats	Ships and boats Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know
Urban runoff	Urban runoff Low	Medium low	Medium high	High	Don't know

Other (please specify) or general comment

16. What effect do you think the recovery of the following species/groups would have on the overall value of West Coast Vancouver Island marine ecosystems?

	Considerably increase	Somewhat increase	No change	Somewhat decrease	Considerable decrease	I don't know
Basking sharks	What effect do you think the recovery of the following species/groups would have on the overall value of West Coast Vancouver Island marine ecosystems? Basking sharks Considerably increase	Somewhat increase	No change	Somewhat decrease	Considerable decrease	I don't know
Pacific salmon	Pacific salmon Considerably increase	Somewhat increase	No change	Somewhat decrease	Considerable decrease	I don't know
Sea lions	Sea lions Considerably increase	Somewhat increase	No change	Somewhat decrease	Considerable decrease	I don't know
Seals	Seals Considerably increase	Somewhat increase	No change	Somewhat decrease	Considerable decrease	I don't know
Sea otters	Sea otters Considerably increase	Somewhat increase	No change	Somewhat decrease	Considerable decrease	I don't know
Whales	Whales Considerably increase	Somewhat increase	No change	Somewhat decrease	Considerable decrease	I don't know

17. Please select the top five stressors to WCVI marine ecosystems. Also select when you think it started, how you think it is likely to change given current management approaches, and the element that you think is the most impacted by that stressor.

	Top five stressors overall	Year you think began	Likely future trend	Ecosystem element most affected
Top	Please select the top five stressors to WCVI marine ecosystems. Also select when you think it started, how you think it is likely to change given current management approaches, and the element that you think is the most impacted by that stressor. Top Top five stressors overall	Year you think began	Likely future trend	Ecosystem element most affected
2nd	2nd Top five stressors overall	Year you think began	Likely future trend	Ecosystem element most affected
3rd	3rd Top five stressors overall	Year you think began	Likely future trend	Ecosystem element most affected
4th	4th Top five stressors overall	Year you think began	Likely future trend	Ecosystem element most affected
5th	5th Top five stressors overall	Year you think began	Likely future trend	Ecosystem element most affected

Write in stressors not mentioned (rank their importance 1-5, when first observed, their future trend)

18. For each of the stressors you listed in the previous question, in what ways might that stress be reduced or eliminated, or in what ways might the health of the ecosystem may be strengthened in order to deal with stress.

For each of the stressors you listed in the previous question, in what ways might that stress be reduced or eliminated, or in what ways might the health of the ecosystem may be strengthened in order to deal with stress. Top
2nd
3rd
4th
5th

20%

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