April 11, 2020, by Kristina Tirman

They may be small, but their importance in the marine ecosystem is HUGE! They may simply drift with the currents, but wherever they end up is something we and other scientists like to monitor…anyone know what we’re talking about? Yep, you guessed it….PLANKTON!  

With longer, sunnier days and warmer water temperatures, we’re beginning to see more plankton in the water column. Plankton are a key player in the marine ecosystem because they are at the base of the food web – everything likes to eat them! They are especially important to our hatchery right now because as we get ready to release our salmon fry, we want to make sure there is an abundance of plankton (aka delicious food for salmon fry) in the water. But there’s a catch! There is one type of plankton that is harmful to our salmon fry – Chaetoceros. Chaetorceros is a type of phytoplankton that can irritate and damage fish gills and when present at high densities, it can be detrimental to our fish.

To learn more about these fascinating organisms and to see photos of plankton samples taken from the Sitka Sound, download the “Plankton Worksheet” and “Plankton ID Guide” found below:

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