Trophic focusing in Bute Inlet

It has been absolutely wonderful to be out in the wild for the past month! The wilderness around Sonora Island really has a feel...a wild feel...I think its the huge glaciated mountains, strong currents, and the plethora of animal voices. I've been lucky enough to get out on the water and take advantage of the scenery and its has been breathtaking. While posing as a fisherfolk (getting my fishing licence, pretending to be interested in downriggers, rods and reels etc.), I've been getting all hot and bothered by the bio-action taking place before my eyes -dolphins leaping, birds flapping, fish jumping. What I've come up with to tie it all together is this:

Trophic focusing is defined as an area in which 2 or more levels of the oceanic food web (to generalize -level 1: phytoplankton*, level 2: zooplankton** and juvenile fish, level 3: larger fish and birds, level 4: marine mammals, large birds and humans) are congregated in one area.

*Phytoplankton are photosynthetic organisms that cannot swim against any current. These are considered autotrophic, which means that these guys can "make" their own food.
** Zooplankton are animal-like and feed on phytoplankton and other zooplankton and they also cannot swim against a current. They are considered heterotrophic, which means they get their food from other organisms.

So, unfortunately I cannot start at the bottom because phytoplankton are typically microscopic, but I can start at juvenile fish.

Juvenile fish are pretty hard to identify at this stage (I'm guessing Herring babies), but here they are, viewed in the millions from the side of the boat in Bute Inlet. At this time of the year in temperate waters, primary productivity is soaring (lots of phytoplankton for fish to eat because the sun shining!)

Pacific Herring Clupea pallasi where jumping like crazy! Looked and sounded as if it was raining.  These are important bait fish for salmon and others.

One action shot!

These Herring brought the Gulls.

And the Pacific White-sided Dolphins Lagenorhynchus obliquidens.

There must have been thousands in the inlet that day, all feeding on the Herring.

They would come right up to the boat, play in the wake and splash around.

And Finally, the Humans. With all their fishing technology and brains looking for the salmon. 

Thanks for reading!

-Barnacle Babe