Intertidal beach habitat suitability model for Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) in the Salish Sea, Canada

Abstract

Pacific sand lance ( Ammodytes personatus) support marine food webs in the Salish Sea, yet our knowledge of intertidal spawning habitat for this species is limited. Increasing participation in community science surveys for intertidal sand lance spawning has resulted in the detection of eggs on more than 90 beaches in the Canadian Salish Sea since 2001. Using these data, we developed a MaxEnt habitat suitability model using six environmental variables. We estimate that only 5.4% of the intertidal zone of the Canadian Salish Sea has a moderate to high likelihood of providing suitable sand lance spawning habitat. This rare habitat was best predicted by its proximity to estuaries, shoreline slope, distance to predicted subtidal sand lance burying habitat, seabed substrate, and aspect. Our model could be used as the basis for a Pacific coast-wide model in areas with less available information. Identifying intertidal spawning habitat of sand lance will support conservation efforts intended to maintain forage fish species.