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A Juxtaposition of

Kachemak Bay and Yaquina Bay Estuaries

Manager: Allison Thomason (primary contact)

Artist/Visual: Emily J. Miller

Research(Geology): Ben Retherford

Research(Biology): Victoria Graham

Editor: Kaleb Austermuhl

Coach: Dr. Saft

Main contact: lone_kit@yahoo.com

Team: Marianas

Wasilla High School

701 East Bogard Road

Wasilla, Alaska 99654

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The Comparison of Kachemak Bay and Yaquina Bay Esutaries

Abstract

The estuaries of Kachemak Bay (Alaska) and Yaquina Bay (Oregon), as

described and compared in this assignment, are two very different bodies of water

which cover various topics. One topic of concern is the lack of biological diversity in

Yaquina Bay, as pollution and the carbon footprint of “man” in the area heavily

influences and restricts organic development. This problem remains as an area of little

concern in Kachemak Bay, as human development there is less domineering.

Kachemak Bay is also protected due to its status as a national park. Another variable of

consideration is the classification and geological location of the two estuaries. For

example: Kachemak Bay is a Fjord-type estuary (steep, rocky valley; formed by glacial

erosion) and it is very open to the ocean; this setup allows a constantly recycling current

system which replenishes the minerals and nutrients that important to the existing eco-

system. Yaquina Bay’s river-based estuary has a one-way current, meaning: any

materials found upstream can be found downriver, and usually not vise-versa. And

because of this, there is little-to-no replenishment of seawater based compounds, so the

only sea-bound organisms are found near the rivers’ mouth (Delta); all other organisms

will be fresh-water based and can be found throughout the entire body of water.

Additionally, Yaquina Bay retains little-to-no preservation organizations due do its status

of residing directly next to two semi-large cities. Supplementary information and topics

will be disclosed throughout the remaining pages of this assignment.

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Fig. 1

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=kachemakbay.main

Kachemak Bay Location

Kachemak Bay is located at 59°36′33″N 151°20′51″W, in southwestern Alaska.

Some of the major communities surrounding Kachemak Bay include Homer, Seldovia,

and Halibut Cove.

Kachemak Bay is located near Homer, Alaska and branches off of Cook Inlet.

The climate there is fairly moderate during all seasons. Freshwater floats on the surface

of the Bay so the majority of sea life lies below the aphotic zone. There are many

different types of species that reside there. Kachemak Bay is part of the NERR, National

Estuarine Research Reserve System, and it is the only fjord type estuary in the system

as well as being the largest (NERR).

Species Present in Kachemak Bay

Kachemak Bay has an abundance of different animals species; land, water and

air alike. Land animals include wolves, black bears, mountain goats, and moose.

Eagles, gyrfalcons, and puffins are a popular sighting around the bay. Some sea-fairing

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animals include otters, porpoises, and seals. There have been some sightings of

different species of whales present in the bay, but it is not a common sight.

Spiny dog fish, salmon, trout, cod, stickleback, rockfish, alligator fish, and halibut make

a list of fish that swim in its waters. Sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, fin whales,

humpback whales, gray whales, killer whales, beluga or white whales, harbor porpoises,

and Dall's porpoises are marine mammals native to that bay. As shown in Figures 3-7,

Kachemak Bayprovides a variety of different animal species. Although most animals

aren’t commonly seen, most of the animals are in the tide pools along the shore, shown

in Figure 2.

Fig. 2

Kachemak Bay Tide Pools

http://homerfieldtrips.org/stewardship.html

Fig. 3

Harbor Seals (P. vitulina)

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http://www.google.com/imgres?q=seals+in+kachemak+bay&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tb

nid=v3YO8W2hxSEYBM:&imgrefurl=http://seamansadventures.com/&docid=xnKUjeGs

BwW1VM&imgurl=http://seamansadventures.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/har

bor_seal_haul_out_2.106115223_std.jpg&w=800&h=550&ei=eixSUOWGNYrBigLktIDID

w&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=200&vpy=170&dur=2091&hovh=186&hovw=271&tx=188&ty=

136&sig=112158048226349637535&page=1&tbnh=171&tbnw=235&start=0&ndsp=20&

ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:75&biw=1280&bih=882

Fig. 4

Sea Otter (E. lutris)

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/oil-spills-water-

surface.html

Fig. 5

Black Bear (U. americanus)

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=black+bear+in+alaska&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid

=PkuHCRV-WWb0WM:&imgrefurl=http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/southeast-alaska-

6

black-bear-picture-934-

pictures.htm&docid=S2Yq_E3BGsw3lM&imgurl=http://www.alaska-in-

pictures.com/data/media/2/southeast-alaska-black-

bear_934.jpg&w=468&h=315&ei=YC5SUJzOEqTvigKSnIDQBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx

=406&vpy=165&dur=421&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=162&ty=121&sig=1121580482263

49637535&page=1&tbnh=159&tbnw=202&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:78&bi

w=1280&bih=882

Fig. 6

Bald Eagle (H. leucocephalus)

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=eagle+in+alaska&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=-

cAtEH3-7utGxM:&imgrefurl=http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/eagle-wings-

outstretched-2889-pictures.htm&docid=GMGgCet_ebErBM&imgurl=http://www.alaska-

in-pictures.com/data/media/4/eagle-wings-

outstretched_2889.jpg&w=468&h=313&ei=oS9SUMSNG6ajiQLKg4CoDA&zoom=1&iac

t=hc&vpx=958&vpy=165&dur=16&hovh=184&hovw=275&tx=204&ty=92&sig=11215804

8226349637535&page=1&tbnh=159&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:

87&biw=1280&bih=882

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Fig. 7

Grey Wolf (C. lupus)

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=wolves+in+alaska&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=p0

LhNAE8oU3nBM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bugbog.com/gallery/alaska-pictures-

usa/alaska-pictures-

wildlife.html&docid=W9PN8fxyH0p0GM&imgurl=http://www.bugbog.com/images/gallerie

s/alaska-pictures-usa/alaska-wolf-

usa.jpg&w=500&h=334&ei=Wi9SUJOnCMipiAKJuIHQDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=388&

vpy=63&dur=406&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=142&ty=111&sig=1121580482263496375

35&page=1&tbnh=147&tbnw=197&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:105&biw=128

0&bih=882

Reason for Kachemak Bay

Our NOSB team chose this estuary because it is the most well known in Alaska

and provides food and jobs for many people in Alaska. Kachemak Bay provides a wide

variety of scientific study as well as recreation time for families and tourist who want to

see the beauty of the state of Alaska.

Importance of Kachemak Bay

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Homer is an important city in Kachemak Bay because of the abundance of fish.

The fishing city is also known as the “Halibut Capital of the World”. Fish has always

been important to Alaskans. The fish are important to economic life in Alaska. There are

many commercial fishers who must catch fish for food and money. Those fish are sold

all around to provide food for many families. All the animals provide a balance for the

environment. If one species were to go extinct, many others might follow and others

would thrive in vast numbers, overwhelming the eco-system. The marine industry

provides many jobs for workers and the fish caught there provide food for animals and

people alike.

Since Kachemak Bay is one of the largest coastal parks in the nation. The state

park spreads for 200 miles along the southeastern edge of the Kenai Peninsula. There

are lakes, islands, mountains, beaches, glaciers, and rocky shoreline within the 400,000

acres of the state park. The tide pools have provided many different studies of how

certain tropical looking species can survive in the cold waters of Alaska.

Fig. 8

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=kachemak+bay&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid

=pWvyk2O3FDMhfM:&imgrefurl=http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/homer-spit-and-

kachemak-bay-3009-pictures.htm&docid=xrUsZqFeXscUSM&imgurl=http://www.alaska-

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in-pictures.com/data/media/12/homer-spit-and-kachemak-

bay_3009.jpg&w=468&h=315&ei=LChSUKKCFc3FiwKNtYHIDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx

=959&vpy=358&dur=375&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=219&ty=121&sig=1121580482263

49637535&page=1&tbnh=160&tbnw=226&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0,i:117&

biw=1280&bih=882

Historical Development

The history of Kachemak Bay is a long one. The first people there were probably

Eskimos from Kodiak Island in the Kenai Peninsula. They used the area for hunting and

fishing. It wasn’t until 1,000 years ago when the Kenaizte (Dena’ina) Indians, part of the

Athabaskan Tribe came to Kachemak Bay and became the southernmost extension of

the territory. The Russians and Europeans didn’t come until the late 1700s with the

exploration of Vitus Bering. Many of the Russians brought back sea otter and fur seal

pelts back with them which launched the first great fur rush in Alaska. Since sea otters

are the only marine mammal with a layer of blubber, its dense fur was considered rich,

valuable, and luxurious.

Grigori Shelikhov, a Siberian merchant, was the founder of the first permanent

Russian settlement in Alaska in 1784 at Three Saints Bay near Kodiak Island (Smith

and Barnett 1990). When Shelikhov sent 20 men to establish a fort, Nanwalek was built.

It was originally called Alexandrovsk Redoubt and was the first Russian settlement

established on the mainland of American. The St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

was built in Seldovia in 1891 and still stands today as a National Historic site.

1910 was the beginning development of herring and salmon fisheries, fur farms, and

homesteads growth in Homer, Anchor Point, Halibut Cove, and Seldovia. There were

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also auxiliary businesses such as logging and boat building for the inhabitants of the

communities. Seldovia was a Native village, but after the influx of people, the population

changed to non-Native. The earliest record for salmon caught in Kachemak Bay was in

1911. With the ever growing population of Seldovia, it became an ideal place for the

development of fishery-related business. In wasn’t until 1964 that herring and salmon

canneries flourished along the water front. Even though Halibut Cove is named for the

flatfish we love to eat, the town was developed because of the great masses of herring

that spawned in the intertidal areas nearby. The industry of salted herring thrived from

the mid-1910s to the 1920s.

By the late 1930s, Homer grew into a larger city with a growing fishery industry.

Trapping soon became a big part of the community of Homer. Coyotes, minks, foxes,

and other fur-bearing animals were among the ones that were trapped. The

development of airways allowed easier access to Homer which enabled them to trade

the pelts as wells as fish to surrounding communities. In 1947 Alaskans wanted to

disband the use of salmon traps in the Alaskan waters. Unfortunately, the traps did not

become illegal until 1959 when Alaska became a state. 1950s is when commercial

fishing for King, Tanner, and Dungeness crabs began in Kachemak Bay. It provided a

year round employment at several plants including Seldovia. Today, its fishing for crab

is only seasonal and only a personal used fishery for Tanner crab is available.

As Alaska become a state, the population of Homer surpassed that a Seldovia for the

first time. Then on March 27, 1964, southcentral Alaska had the worst earthquake of

their time. Luckily no lives were lost, but many harbors and small fishing boats were

destroyed (Waller and Stanley 1966, Springer 1997). This was seen as a blessing.

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Homer qualified for federal reconstruction funds as a newly cooperated city. The booms

years of Seldovia were over due to the devastation of the earthquake (Springer 1997).

Homer became and remains the cultural, economic and social center of Kachemak Bay.

Fig. 9

Russian Orthodox Church in Sitka Alaska

http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/alaskawcanada&

CISOPTR=2908&CISOBOX=1&REC=2

Management Plan

The decline in the fishing industry can cause major problems to the surrounding

communities of Kachemak Bay as well as many other Alaskans. Any humans cause

disaster, such as pollution, overfishing, and oils spills, will have tremendous damage to

the fish stocks. With the many fisheries around the state, it’s vital we keep it clean. Here

are a few examples of human caused disasters and the management plan we came up

with.

Graphs/Drawings

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Fig.10&11 Courtesy of Emily Miller

Over Fishing

Over fishing can prove to be a real problem with more and more people coming up to

Alaska. The high demand for seafood is also increasing with the rising population.

Fishing is an important industry for Alaska. Think about the predator-prey cycle. If we

take more than enough fish from the waters, bears, eagles and other fish eaters will

decline in population. Many species of animals that rely on fish have become

endangered due to over fishing. We can limit the amount of fish caught per person to

allow the fish to reproduce.

Fig. 12

http://jonbowermaster.com/blog/2011/01/if-one-scientist-announces-an-end-to-

overfishing-does-that-make-it-true/

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Fig. 13

http://www.seppo.net/e/appeal-for-fair-fishing

Pollution

The problems aren’t limited to just the animals dwelling in the bay, but also the

land animals. Pollution causes health problems to not only the marine animals, but the

surrounding species. Even people in general can become ill from consuming seafood

that has been in polluted waters. The amount of liter along the shore is increasing.

There have been many volunteers dedicating their time to clean up the shores, but it’s

still not enough. Even though tsunamis aren’t a normal phenomenon in the bay,

tsunami debris can prove to be a problem to the animals within the bay. Volunteers

around the coastal areas are currently cleaning the debris away the best they can. Last

year in March, there was a terrible earthquake in Japan that led to a tsunami. Debris

from the disaster is washing up on the shores of Alaska.

In May of 2012, Senator Mark Begich suggested that NOAA provide $4.5 million

for the cleanup, but even that’s not enough. Some are saying that by next spring, tons

more of debris from the Japanese tsunami is due to arrive on Alaskan shores.

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Fig. 14

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/23/us/gallery/alaska-japan-tsunami-debris/index.html

Oil Spills

It may seem unlikely, but we have to consider the damages if there was an oil

spill within the Kachemak Bay. Oil spills cause damage inside and outside of the animal.

If the oil gets inside of the lungs, it can kill the animal due to the lack of oxygen. We

have been able to be more cautious with the transportation of oils, but anything can and

will happen. Since the climate is different from the lower states, if an oil spill were to

happen during the winter, the oil would be much harder to clean up. The pilots of the oil

rigs have been more cautious. With today’s technology, it’s easier to clean up the oil

from the ocean and animals the oil has infected. They have been many ideas of

cleaning up the oil and many of those have failed. Burning the oil of the surface but

even that can fail. In the past, the have use vacuum suction to clean the oil. The

problem with that is that we can’t tell if we accidentally have sucked up an animal. Most

problems are better handle with care and by hand, even if it takes a long time to do.

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Fig. 15

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/cleaning-oil-spill.htm

Companies

One of the main contributing organizations of major clean-ups for disasters is

NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NERR is responsible for

maintaining the environment of the national park and keeping the area free of human

waste. On the sea, the Coast Guard takes care of the hazardous waste such as floating

material and oil. US Fish and Wildlife receives animals from the oil spill or those that are

caught in the debris and rehabilitate them to send the animals back into wild.

Money Costs

With today’s economy, everything is very expensive. It cost millions of dollars for

a simple clean-up such as debris landing on the shores. For example, an oil spill can

cost between $4-5 billion and sometimes even more. Since we are in a terrible debt, it’s

harder to send money out to organizations to allow them to clean. Nowadays, there are

volunteers to clean the infected area, but even with the volunteers; there still is a cost

for the damages.

Compare and Contrast: Kachemak Bay and Yaquina Bay

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Fig. 16

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USACE_Yaquina_Bay_Oregon.jpg

Similarities

Both of them share NOAA for a main agency. They also have universities that

study the estuaries: Kenai Peninsula College for Kachemak Bay and Oregon State

University Marine Science Center for Yaquina Bay.

Differences

Yaquina Bay has a major problem with pollution because it’s more of a city

estuary rather than a national park like Kachemak Bay. NOAA is the only agency they

share, but it’s not the only agency. The US Coast Guard base is located on Yaquina bay

as well as the West Coast headquarters. Newport, Oregon is the closest populated town

and is the main reason for the highly polluted waters of the estuary. Because of the

pollution, it’s hard for most sea faring animals and land animals as well to survive.

Kachemak Bay, on the other hand, is a national park so there isn’t much human activity

other than tourism, fishing, and hunting.

Kachemak Bay has many surrounding towns, most of which are fishing

industries. The main fishing ports include Homer, Halibut Cove, and Seldovia. Unlike

Yaquina Bay, the fishing ports also harvest different species of crabs. The Alaska

Department of Fish and Game are in charge of all hunting and fishing activity in Alaska

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(ADF&G). Kachemak Bay is mainly a glacier created valley while the Yaquina River

runs into the estuary. There are also many currents throughout Kachemak Bay that acts

like a filter system and there is more ocean water than salt water compared Yaquina

where the estuary is mostly cut off from the ocean.

Location of Yaquina Bay.

The location of Yaquina Bay is 44.618089°N 124.030151°W, near New Port,

Oregon. Due to its location close to a populated city, Yaquina Bay isn’t same for many

marine animals to survive in the water. The appearance of the estuary is more river-like

compared to Kachemak Bay.

Conclusion

The main objective was to address the similar and different characteristics of

Kachemak Bay and Yaquina Bay estuaries. We discovered that Kachemak Bay is a

protected national park; while Yaquina Bay is closer to a city where pollution has

severely damaged the ecosystems of the estuary. Yaquina Bay has features closer a

river rather than a large fjord shape like Kachemak Bay. Kachemak Bay was influenced

and the towns created by Russian sailors. Yaquina Bay was more of a simple port town

for trading. As more people came through, towns began to develop. Fishing is important

to both estuaries, but Kachemak Bay has cleaner water and is more habitual for

different species of marine organism for human consumption. Salmon fishing is really

the only species that is common amongst the estuaries, yet only Kachemak Bay has a

larger returning percentage of salmon than Yaquina Bay due to the human pollution. In

conclusion, estuaries are distinctive, depending on the location of said estuary.

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