Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) captured  while surveying the North Coast Marine Protected Areas.

California is home to the largest scientifically-based network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the nation. As these protected areas were put in place, baseline assessments were performed to set the benchmark from which changes will be measured. Working closely with state agencies and academic institutions, MARE surveyed many of the deep water sites from 2010 through 2015.

In 2017 MARE completed the final region – a complete characterization of deep water sites along the rugged North Coast.  These MPAs included Point St. George Reef Offshore SMCA, Reading Rock SMR, Mattole Canyon SMR and Ten Mile  SMR. MARE’s final report to California Sea Grant included identification of the marine life and associated seafloor habitats, as well as recommendations for future monitoring strategies and key ecosystem indicators for inclusion in the statewide long-term MPA monitoring plan.

MARE staff presented at Humboldt State University’s Marine and Coastal Science Institute North Coast MPA Baseline Monitoring Symposium in May 2017. Key findings were reported from the first comprehensive study of Northern California’s nearshore waters by MARE and other researchers, management agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

​Read MARE’s  North Coast Baseline Program Final Report: Mid-depth and Deep Subtidal Ecosystems to learn more about this project:

Vase Sponge, Basket Star (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis)

MARE partnered with California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to assess commercially and recreationally important fish and other marine species, as well as characterize much of the rocky habitats of our state waters. The findings will be used to examine the condition of habitats important to over-fished species inside and outside selected MPAs, and most importantly, inform management decisions in the future.
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MARE conducted the fifth and final survey of this project in 2017 with a 30-day effort along the Central Coast region.  Video imagery collected was analyzed by MARE’s scientists and a final technical report was provided to CDFW for use in the State’s deep-water monitoring efforts. With the completion of the Central Coast survey, MARE and CDFW have now filmed and surveyed more than 1,800 km (5.2 million sq. meters) at 163 sites from Oregon to the Mexican border.

Diamondback Tritonia (Tritonia festiva)

With the baseline characterization of California’s marine protected areas completed, MARE helped develop the Statewide MPA Monitoring Action Plan, which will guide the long-term monitoring of California’s MPAs. In April and June of 2017 MARE worked with researchers, management agencies and academic institutions to inform development of the deep-water ecosystem monitoring framework, which will guide the State’s long-term monitoring efforts. A comprehensive list of management questions, and the most important taxa and habitats to monitor were identified during these multi-day workshops. This critical foundational work will guide the State in developing a long-term monitoring plan that serves across agencies and mandates as we monitor the ocean health.

 Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus) captured at 295 meters during this survey.

In April 2017, MARE joined the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary’s (CINMS) research coordinator, Chris Caldow, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) deepwater coral and sponge researcher, Dr. Peter Etnoyer, to explore the deep-sea corals of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. During the two-week survey, aboard the 210 ft.

NOAA research vessel Bell M. Shimada, we explored undescribed habitats to study the condition of deep-sea coral gardens and document seafloor environments. Using MARE’s ROV Beagle, we captured video of fish and deep-sea coral communities. Several coral samples were also collected within the CINMS for use in laboratory studies and genetic analysis

Western Sand Dollars (Dendraster excentricus)

In 2007 and 2008 the deep-water portions of select Central Coast MPAs were surveyed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) using an ROV. Video collected during these surveys was initially analyzed to characterize the benthic habitats and fish populations, but not invertebrates. Seeking to achieve a more comprehensive view of these ecosystems and to align historical data sets with those currently being processed, the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and CDFW contracted MARE to analyze archival video from those surveys to quantify macro-invertebrate species. The result of this effort provided a more comprehensive profile of the deep rocky and soft-bottom ecosystems in this region.
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The same was done for sites near the Northern Channel Islands, originally surveyed  from 2005-2009. With its completion, the data on invertebrate abundance is now comparable to data collected by MARE in 2014 and 2015 at the same historic sites, creating a an invaluable data series over 10 years to be able to further examine changes in ocean health.

Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) in a coral garden in the Channel Islands.

Concern has arisen that deep-sea ecosystems are rapidly being impacted by human activities, including bottom-contact fishing, oil and gas exploration, cable deployment, and ocean dumping. These activities have caused severe damage to deep-sea ecosystems worldwide, and the rate of damage is accelerating.

​The loss of these critical habitats is already having cascading effects on many of the marine organisms that depend on them, including commercially important fish species. Critical structure-forming environments such as deep-sea corals and sponges have recently been identified as essential fish habitat worldwide, yet little is known about where they exist or how they function in the life history of many commercially exploited species

​The lack of information about deep-sea corals and sponges limits efforts to protect them. MARE believes that systematic efforts are required to fill the existing information gaps and ensure that these fragile ecosystems are adequately protected, while continuing to support sustainable fisheries. In 2018, MARE, in partnership with Marine Conservation Institute, will launch our Deep-Sea Coral Program, a three-year effort to provide critical, actionable knowledge of deep-sea coral and sponge habitats. Initially, the program will address three key information gaps: lack of agreement on the extent of habitats to be protected; lack of information about the current distribution of deep-sea corals and sponges; and lack of effective predictive mapping tools to reduce the costs of exploration and documentation.

Puget Sound King Crab
(Lopholithodes mandtii) 

Pacific Electric Ray
(Torpedo californica)

Ochre stars
(Pisaster ochraceus)

With the baseline characterizations of California’s MPAs completed, the State will now begin long-term MPA monitoring. MARE will continue its long-standing partnerships with state and academic institutions by being a key player in tracking changes in the deep-water habitats of California’s MPAs over time. Survey protocols developed in partnership with CDFW and MARE have now been used statewide, resulting in the largest deep-water MPA baseline dataset to date. This data will become the benchmark from which future changes will be evaluated.

DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Sam Schuchat

Sam Schuchat, an outdoor enthusiast from a young age,  is dedicated to protecting our environment. His childhood passion extended to a career in conservation, where he serves as Executive Director of the California Coastal Conservancy.

Sam got involved with MARE in 2003 during the State of California’s implementation of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs). As Sam notes, “you can’t conserve what you don’t know you have. The sea floor is the driver for habitat.” Executive Director Dirk Rosen presented MARE as the most cost-effective and accurate solution to gather data needed for initial monitoring of the newly created MPAs. Thus launched a partnership between their organizations.

MARE has given Sam an opportunity to blend his personal and professional passions further. For instance, being a member of the Climate Ride Ocean Riders Team offers a perfect opportunity for Sam to combine his loves of cycling and coastal conservation. Sam has accompanied Dirk on two rides and is planning another for the fall in the Pacific Northwest.

Sam recognizes that MARE captures the ocean in a uniquely accessible way. He fondly recalls a MARE  expedition to the Santa Barbara Channel Islands in 2004: “I could watch “Fish TV” all day!” Sam notes that he was addicted to the live streaming video during the expedition. “You don’t have kittens – but you have octopus and wolf eels!”
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Sam contends that support of MARE is critical.  In the midst of our current political fight to protect our natural resources, “we need baseline information more than ever.” Leaders and organizations like Sam, California Coastal Conservancy and MARE have helped California protect our coasts with MPAs and effective fisheries regulations. Thanks to supporters and partners like Sam, MARE’s work to better understand deep water ecosystems, and put information into action, is just getting started. ​

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Anonymous
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