Science Institute News Recent accomplishments of CDFW's scientific community Remotely Operated Vehicle Gives Scientists an Underwater View into California’s MPAs March 20, 2019 in Wildlife Research The ROV Beagle (CDFW photo) Starry Rockfish from the Channel Islands (CDFW photo) Yelloweye and Vermilion rockfishes from the North Coast (CDFW photo) Canary Rockfish from the North Coast (CDFW photo) Lingcod, white-plumed anemones, female kelp greenling (CDFW photo) Quillback Rockfish and Basket Stars from the North Coast (CDFW photo) Benthic siphophores use threads to walk and anchor to the seafloor (CDFW photo) ROV Beagle (CDFW photo by Michael Prall) Marine scientists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) recently completed an unprecedented three-year survey of deep-water habitats off the California coast using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Beginning in 2014, MARE’s ROV Beagle was deployed throughout the state to survey and record the species and types of habitats associated with marine protected areas (MPAs) and nearby, comparable rocky habitats. Surveys were video-based and provided a first look at the many recently established MPAs throughout the state and generated much needed data on abundance and distribution of fish species harvested from rocky habitats. According to Marine Environmental Scientist Mike Prall, “Many of the areas visited by the ROV Beagle during the surveys had probably never been directly observed by human eyes before our surveys. And all data gathered from video and still imagery collected during the expeditions have provided much needed information about California’s vast deep-water habitats.” This statewide survey was funded by a $1.9 million research grant awarded to CDFW in 2013 to survey underwater habitats from Mexico to the Oregon border using state-of-the-art underwater technology operated by MARE. In all, five deployments visited over 130 locations and collected hundreds of hours of video in standard and high definition formats, as well as over 50,000 digital still photographs. Working through MARE’s video processing laboratory in Eureka, trained technicians methodically characterized habitat and identified hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates from high definition video and still photography. Detailed information was also collected from the ROV’s path across the seafloor, which was then used to accurately identify the location of each observation. CDFW scientists used that data for future analysis of abundance, size estimates and patterns of distribution for important species, among other applications. Preliminary examination of observations from the first ROV deployments have already uncovered interesting findings about species and habitats. In Southern California, small reef patches surrounded by soft sediments showed a high abundance of rockfish in many locations. These habitats are sparsely scattered throughout Southern California’s nearshore waters and may be important to overall fish abundance in areas lacking prominent rocky reefs. Not surprisingly, the northern California surveys uncovered different findings from those in southern California. Rocky reefs in northern California had patchy distributions of fish, with some areas surprisingly devoid of common species. Strong ocean currents, large waves, and increased sedimentation from rivers created complex dynamics on the north coast and may have influenced the patchy distribution. One striking observation throughout all areas visited statewide was the high abundance of the predatory lingcod. “Participating in this survey has been a high point of my career at CDFW,” Prall said. “As we continue to work with the massive amount of data gathered, I am excited to see what new results emerge and to see how this work will inform our understanding of California’s amazing underwater resources.” CDFW scientists and MARE have been collaborating and have explored underwater habitats together throughout California waters since 2003 and have developed highly refined ROV survey methods and processing techniques. Since completion of this endeavor in 2016, this project has provided the most comprehensive and most thorough visual survey of California’s deep water rocky habitats ever attempted. Information gathered from the data will provide insights into how species may be benefiting from protections afforded by MPAs and give resource managers greater knowledge of managed marine species. CDFW and MARE are currently partnering to survey warty sea cucumber populations in and around Anacapa Island State Marine Reserve. Two deployments funded by the Resources Legacy Fund were completed in 2018. Thanks to this work, scientists now better understand the biology of this important harvested invertebrate species, and in addition, the role of MPAs in the sustainability of the fishery. Photos taken from the ROV Beagle during the project surveys can be seen on CDFW's Flickr site. For more information about marine protected area monitoring efforts, visit the CDFW website. Top photo: The ROV Beagle (CDFW photo by Michael Prall) Media contact: Carrie Wilson, CDFW Communications, (831) 649-7191 Related Posts California’s Disappearing Kelp Forests: What Scientists and Divers can do to Reverse this Trend Purple urchins grazing a desolate kelp forest, Fort Ross, 2015. (Photo credit: A. Weltz) Purple urchins consuming bull kelp fronds and stipes and crowding out native red urchins and abalone. Unusual photo of abalone and purple urchins consuming bull kelp stipes. (Photo credit: A. Maguire) Large aggregations of purple urchins are wiping out kelp forests, creating pink barrens and out-competing other species, such as abalone, for food. (Photo credit: A. Maguire) Aftermath of the harmful algal bloom: dead abalone and other invertebrates washed up on shore at Fort Ross in 2011. (Photo by N. Buck) Shrunken abalone due to lack of food, October 2015. The foot (meat) of the abalone should be roughly the same size as its shell. (Photo credit: S. Holmes) The view of northern California’s beautiful coastline has historically been pristine and breathtaking. With dense kelp forest canopies blanketing the surface of the nearshore areas and protecting the abundant rockfishes, red abalone, sea stars and red urchins that lived below, it was a healthy, natural ecosystem rich with thriving inhabitants. Unfortunately, the ocean is now changing, and this idyllic scene is no ... California’s Missing Monarchs: Scientists Work to Reverse a Worrisome Trend USFWS Photo by Brett Billings Figure 1 from The Xerces Society’s Conservation Status and Ecology of the Monarch Butterfly in the United States (PDF) For residents of many coastal California towns, the colorful Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus) migration has been a welcome wintertime sight for generations. The beautiful and distinctive orange-and-black patterned insects have historically congregated at more than 400 known sites in the Golden State. Visitors flock to see them, and some towns – such as Pacific Grove, Big Sur and Pismo Beach -- have built entire economies around the return of the butterflies. The life history of the Monarch butterfly is fascinating in that none of the individuals that arrive each winter have ever been there before. Each year, the Monarchs that were born throughout western North America flutter to the warmer climates of the California coast, typically in mid-October, but sometimes as early as September. They form dense masses high in the trees, where they remain relatively dormant (scientifically known as reproductive diapause) until February or March, when flowers with nectar and the milkweed needed by their young ... Replenishing Southern California’s Abalone Populations WARC diver Shelby Kawana assesses habitat at one of the CDFW red abalone stocking sites located off the coast of southern California. WARC diver Armand Barilotti assesses habitat at one of the CDFW red abalone stocking sites located off the coast of southern California. Octopus are a top abalone predator and therefor pose a threat to newly stocked juvenile red abalone populations. Researchers catch and relocate octopus when they are found hiding in crevasses near stocking sites. A rediscovered stocked red abalone was found clinging to the underside of a rock during a one year post stocking survey. Harvesting abalone for dinner used to be as fundamental to a Southern California lifestyle as fish tacos and flip-flops. But by 1998, a combination of overfishing and disease led to the closure of all abalone fishery south of San Francisco. By 2001, the white abalone was listed as an endangered species because populations continued to decline despite protection from fishing pressure. Population numbers are so low today that the only option for recovery is believed to be through a robust captive breeding and ... CDFW Implants Transponders into Spring-Run Chinook A tiny transponder is placed inside the body cavity of each female salmon. When the fish lay their eggs, the transponders will be expelled, providing scientists with information on when, where and how successful each spawning female is. After the salmon are tagged, they are returned to a holding pond while the anesthetic wears off. CDFW scientists electronically identify and perform an ultrasound on each fish in order to assess their pre-spawning condition. Each salmon in the project received a tiny identity tag that is entered into a database. The computerized system allows biologists to follow individual fish throughout their life cycle. A team of scientists read, evaluate and record data for each individual salmon. On Thursday, May 18, fisheries biologists implanted acoustic transponders into 60 endangered adult spring-run Chinook salmon. The transponders will track their movements and help determine spawning success later this season. The salmon will be released to spawn naturally in the San Joaquin River near Friant over the next three months. Spring-run Chinook have been absent from the river for many decades. Reintroduction is one of multiple ... Survey Says: California Marine Anglers Help Scientists Collect Data If you’re an avid marine sport angler, you have most likely seen the smiling faces and brown polo shirts of California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) samplers. Since its inception in 2004, CRFS has grown into one of the state’s largest and most important survey efforts. Survey samplers are tasked with collecting data about both recreational fishing catch and effort. Annually, CRFS samplers make direct contact with 68,000 fishing parties at over 400 sampling sites between the California-Oregon state line to the California-Mexico border. A separate but related telephone survey effort contacts an additional 26,000 anglers. A program of this large scale is necessary because recreational fishing effort and success rates are highly dynamic – a large sample size is needed to adequately estimate catch and effort. Recreational fishing effort is also very challenging to predict, as it can be affected by many factors (weather, gas prices, time of year, fishing seasons, etc.). But the recreational sector accounts for a significant portion of overall marine harvest, so it’s essential to collect that data to produce reliable estimates of harvest. CRFS is ... Stacking the Odds to Stock California’s Waters Working late, Mojave River hatchery staff apply FDA-certified epoxy coating to hatchery rearing ponds. CDFW fish transportation truck at Fillmore Hatchery Acting Mojave River Hatchery Manager Forest Williams at work A hatchery crew releases trout into the Feather River A fishy view of trout planting on the Feather River The beginning of trout fishing season in Southern California is just around the corner, and CDFW biologists and hatchery staff are striving to maximize hatchery trout availability for the many anglers who will cast lines in coming weeks. Trout angling in lower-elevation waters of Southern California generally begins in November and continues through April, to correspond with colder water temperatures that can sustain stocked trout. Precise temperatures are just one of the criteria that must be met before trout stocking begins. Currently, these conditions are approaching optimal levels, but CDFW is running about two weeks behind schedule due to unforeseen circumstances at Mojave River and Fillmore trout hatcheries, two of CDFW’s southernmost facilities. The Mojave River Hatchery, built in 1947, raises and stocks a ten-year average of 340,000 pounds of catchable trout per year. Beginning ... Tagged With: Beagle, environmental scientist, marine, remotely operated vehicle, ROV
Subscribe to receive Science Institute news by email. Email Subscribe Recent Posts San Mateo Lagoon Steelhead Restoration Shows Early PromiseOctober 30, 2019Pulse Flows Expected to Boost Brown Trout Fishery in Owens River GorgeSeptember 11, 2019Endangered Shasta Crayfish Have New Refuge in Rock CreekAugust 1, 2019Saving the Amargosa VoleJuly 26, 2019California’s Disappearing Kelp Forests: What Scientists and Divers can do to Reverse this TrendJuly 18, 2019Read More Archives 2019January (2) February (3) March (4) April (4) May (2) June (2) July (2) August (1) September (1) October (1) 2018January (5) February (4) March (3) April (5) May (4) June (2) July (5) August (3) September (4) October (4) November (1) December (2) 2017February (2) March (3) April (4) May (5) June (3) July (3) August (6) September (4) October (4) November (4) December (3) Mammals Birds Reptiles and Amphibians Fish Invertebrates Plants Ecosystems Pollution and Water Quality Climate and Renewable Energy