The Tofino Mudflats comprise a plethora of habitats
that support a diverse array
of wildlife.

Mudflats

Mud, sand and gravel cover most of Tofino Mudflats. Rich nutrients and organic sediment arrive via salt water, brought in by the tides, and fresh water, running off the land. Algae and bacterial mats grow on the mud surface. Marine worms, clams, crabs and ghost shrimp live in the sediment. At low tide, these invertebrates provide a feast for probing shorebirds.

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Critical Habitats:

• Mudflats
• Eelgrass
• Rocky headlands
• Rock Islands & Reefs
• Deep channels
• Streams
• Marshes
• Forests
• Forested Islands

Horse clam in eelgrass
Photo: Jenn Yakimishyn

Eelgrass

The Tofino Mudflats contain the largest eelgrass beds on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Eelgrass roots and stems bind and stabilize the mud, and the plant provides food and habitat for many animals. The structural cover of eelgrass provides a refuge from predators for juvenile fish and moulting crabs. Individual blades of grass are often coated with algae and a wide variety of tiny animals, such as skeleton shrimp, stalked jellyfish and sea slugs.

Black Bear foraging
under rocks
Photo: B. Schramm

Gravel beaches
and rocky headlands

Outcrops of bedrock and large rocks are scattered along the shoreline. These provide attachment for rockweed, barnacles, mussels, and snails. Black bears are often seen turning over rocks to feed on small crabs and amphipods. Crows and gulls use rocky outcrops to break open mussels and clams, dropped from above.

Bedrock islands and reefs

Bedrock islands and reefs are ideal roosting and loafing sites for waterbirds at high tide. Occasionally a cormorant will perch on the rocks with its wings hung out to dry. Harbour seals use the smooth, flat bedrock reefs as haul-out sites.

Stellar Sea Lion
Photo: Barbara Schramm

Deep channels

Sea lions, porpoises and (occasionally) killer whales and grey whales swim through the deep channels bordering the Tofino Mudflats. Loons, grebes, cormorants and large flocks of diving ducks feed in these waters of plentiful fish. Orca photo: Rich Chiovitti

Streams

MacKenzie Creek, Meares Creek, Close Creek, South Bay Creek, and a few unnamed streams that flow into the Tofino Mudflats support small spawning runs of chum, coho, and pink salmon. Spawning salmon provide food for bears, mink, eagles, gulls and other wildlife. Decomposing salmon carcasses contribute nutrients to the forest and stream. This in turn nourishes the next generation of salmon fry growing up in the stream.

Marshes

Small bands of marsh occur around the edges of the mudflats. Saltwort, seaside arrowgrass, Lyngby’s sedge, Nootka reedgrass, sea plantain and silverweed are adapted to this area where fresh and salt water mix. Marsh plants provide forage for ducks, geese and shorebirds, as well as black bears. Decaying plants contribute nutrients to the food chain used by juvenile salmon.

photo: Chris Pouget

right photo: Kyle Cullion

Forests

Forests of mixed type and age provide a diversity of habitats around the Tofino Mudflats. Dense stands of red alder across from Cox Bay are the youngest, a result of logging in the 1960s. The age of the remaining forest is evident in the large (over 2 metres in diameter) western red cedars, some more than 1,000 years old.

Abundant berry-producing shrubs such as evergreen huckleberry, salal, salmonberry and red huckleberry feed birds and black bears. Slugs and squirrels feast on a variety of mushrooms. Woodpeckers, owls, chickadees and nuthatches nest and feed within the larger snags. Decaying logs provide cover and shelter for mice, mink, river otters, frogs and salamanders. Black bear, black-tailed deer and grey wolves have created well-established wildlife trails in and along the edges of the forest.

Photo: Barbara Schramm

Right photo: Denise Titian

Forested islands