Mapping and characterization of the Oculina Banks Habitat Area of Particular Concern (OHAPC) off the east coast of Florida  (Year 2 of 2) Project Number: SEGM-2003-04-01B Principle Investigators: Shepard, A. N. Region(s):  The National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Center, Miami will collaborate with the National Undersea Research Program to support mapping and characterization of the Oculina Banks Habitat Area of Particular Concern (OHAPC). The primary goal of this support, administered through the National Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, is development of a Oculina Geographic Information System (OGIS) to assess habitats and disseminate data for the OHAPC, a marine protected area (MPA) in 100 meters of water off the east coast of Florida, closed to bottom fishing in 1994 and doubled in size to 300 nm2 in 2000. The OGIS background layers currently include side-scan sonar imagery from 1995, NOAA/NOS bathymetry, and submersible data (observations and imagery) from 2001, and multibeam bathymetric survey conducted in 2002. OGIS will contribute to an assessment of habitat change in the MPA and baseline data layers for future OHAPC studies. The geophysical data (side-scan sonar, multi-beam bathymetry, seismic profiling, sediment samples) will be combined with dive transect data on habitat type, coral cover, fish populations, and other biota to create a habitat map. Using funding that was intended solely for the 2002 multi-beam survey, but saved through partnerships with NASA and the United Space Alliance (primarily in ship-time costs), a new habitat characterization and fish census mission in was conducted in spring 2003. NURC/UNCW provided its 300 meter remotely operated vehicle to conduct photo/video transects at new target dive sites, using the multi-beam survey and OGIS to select sites that 1) had never been explored before and 2) historic sites that had not been visited in 30 years. The 2003 survey is part of a larger on-going NOAA effort to explore, map, characterize, protect and restore, if necessary, deep reef communities off the southeast U.S. The OHAPC is a particular target due to its protected status, the first such deep reef ecosystem to be protected in the region. In addition to the ROV habitat characterization and fish census, other activities during the 2003 mission included: grab sampling for USGS to build their OHAPC sediment inventory, testing of a new acoustic monitoring system for use in sensing and tracking fish and vessel sounds, and dedicated education and outreach efforts.   The Oculina Banks 2003 Mission met all major objectives as presented in the Statement of Work, despite several setbacks due to operational difficulties, including to two ROV floodings and a change of support vessels in mid-cruise—a testament to the commitment of the NOAA and NASA/USA teams. In ten days (eight and one-half dive days), twenty-three ROV dives and 34 sediment grab samples were conducted throughout the reserve, which resulted in more than 40 hours of underwater videotape documentation. Target dives sites included historical sites not seen for nearly 25 years and unexplored areas identified from a 2002 multi-beam survey. Dive results support conclusions from a 2001 expedition that much has changed during the past two decades, including significant habitat destruction and reduced reef fish abundance since the 1970s. On the positive side, at least two new areas of live coral thicket were discovered and documented for the first time. This work increased the extent of habitat characterization required to gauge effectiveness of the reserve since it was first closed, understand changes in the OHAPC over the past thirty years, and establish a monitoring baseline for future comparisons. In addition, a new acoustic monitoring system, designed by NASA/Kennedy Space Center engineers for detecting and documenting fish and vessel sounds at depths of up to 1000 m, was successfully tested offshore. Education and outreach efforts included: dedicated Web site with daily logs and interactive Q&A, a live Webcast from sea during the mission, education specialists and writers at-sea who will produce useful materials targeted for the public and classroom use, at-sea and in port visits by several media representatives (TV and newspaper), and resulting regional and national news items. Leg 1    Begin Date: 4/28/2003   End Date: 5/9/2003   Support Vessel/Platform: M/V Liberty Star System Ops Days Dives Dive Time (hrs) Depth (m) Phantom S2 - UNCW 9 23 38.25 120 Freiwald A,Roberts JM (eds), 2005, Cold-water Corals and Ecosystems. Springer-Vrelag Berlin Heidelberg, pp 443-465 Koenig, C.C., A.N. Shepard, J.K. Reed, F.C. Coleman, K.M. Scanlon, J. Brusher. (In press) Habitat and Fish Populations in the Deep-sea Oculina Coral Ecosystem of the Western Atlantic. Proceedings of the Benthic Habitat Meetings, Tampa Florida. AFS, ESA, NMFS.

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