NURC-USGS Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Habitat Mapping and Distribution of Living Marine Resources  (Year 1 of 1) Project Number: NAGL-95-10 Principle Investigators: Auster, P. J., P. C. Valentine, and R. J. Malatesta Region(s): Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary View project media Project Objectives: 1. Determine if variations in landscape features (defined as patches of distinct sediment types) correlate with variable distributions of mobile taxa, 2. Determine if patches within sedimentary features (i.e., biotic structures such as aggregations of cerianthid anenomes and other emergent epifauna) correlate with the distribution of mobile taxa, and 3. Determine if species distributions and/or abundances vary with the size of the habitat patch. Summary of Research: Living marine resources (LMRs) are a primary focus of the newly designated Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Management of LMRs is generally based on population level data for single species. This approach does not take into account the interactions between species and with the species habitat. This program development project will determine spatial differences in habitat type and complexity, and the interactions of mobile benthic fauna (primarily commercially and recreationally important species), with specific habitat types within the Sanctuary. Using technologies that include remote sensing (sidescan sonar, remotely operated vehicle) and direct sampling (dredge, beam trawl, video-equipped grab) a series of basic questions regarding the dynamics of habitat characteristics and use will be addressed including: (1) how do variations in landscape features effect the distribution and abundance of mobile organisms, and (2) do species distributions and/or abundances vary with the size of the habitat patch? This basic ecological knowledge will provide the contextual basis for future management related research. In addition, this work will serve as a baseline for the potential exclusion (by the New England Fishery Management Council) of fishing at a site within the Sanctuary. This experimental marine protected area will serve as a reference site to determine if changes in habitat complexity results after the cessation of impacts by mobile fishing gear. A potential closure area will be chosen in consultation with USGS which encompasses multiple sedimentary habitats. Dives will be conducted at stations in and out of the potential closure area to determine indices of habitat complexity prior to formal closure. These stations will serve as longterm study sites if the closure area is designated. We expect a decision regarding the closure area within the next 6 months. SBNMS will provide 8 days of NOAA Ship Ferrel time to support this project. The USGS will provide approximately $15,000 for a part-time research assistant to read videotapes, enter data, and aid in analysis and will cooperate in utilization of sidescan sonar and grab sample data for large-scale habitat definition. NURC-UCAP will provide ROV and navigation systems to collect data in the field and analyze data to determine faunal-habitat relationships and distributions.   Results: Fifteen stations, in different sedimentary patches (identified using USGS sidescan sonar and multibeam bathymetric records), were surveyed using a Phantom S2 ROV during the July and August of 1995. Replicate 60 m video transects were conducted at each station. Video records were treated as strip transects and lumped by station. Cluster analysis was used to to group stations by similarity of species composition and abundance. Four cluster groups were formed, each representing areas of unique sedimentary habitat types and dominant species by group. Correspondence analysis was used to verify groupings determined using the cluster analysis technique. The analysis suggests that some habitat types are functionally equivalent. Both analytical techniques showed that species composition and abundance vary based on sediment type. Assemblage structure correlated with sedimentary habitats of: 1) sand, shell deposits, partially buried boulders surrounded by sand, 2) mud, sandy-silt, 3) sandy-gravel, partially buried scattered boulders, and 4) gravel, piled boulders. Video transects were also treated as a series of non-overlapping adjacent video quadrats. Each video frame was categorized by habitat type (i.e., type 1=flat sand, 2=sandwave, 3=biogenic structure, 4=shell aggregates, 5=pebble-cobble, 6=sponge aggregates, 7=partially buried boulder, 8=piled boulder) and associated species counted. A chi-square test of homogeneity of distribution was computed for the ten most abundant species, weighting the expected values by the distribution of each habitat type. Tests were conducted to determine if species were randomly distributed across habitats both between and within stations. Percent difference between observed and expected values were computed and used as an index of association with specific habitat types. All species had significant chi-square values when comparing distributions between stations, indicating that they are not randomly distributed across habitats within the sanctuary. For example, redfish occurred 6,186% more in piled boulders than if they were randomly distributed across all habitats. This species had negative associations with all other habitat types. Longhorn sculpin had positive associations generally within habitats which contained small interstitial spaces (i.e., shell aggregates, gravel-cobble, sponges). This may indicate that sculpins were occurring in areas which provide habitat for small crustaceans and juvenile fishes (e.g., cod), which are primary prey species. Faunal associations with features within stations were not a common behavioral attribute. For example, ocean pout did not have significant associations with any microhabitat features within the three stations within which it occurred in high numbers. However, both redfish and cunner distributions demonstrated that all rock habitats are not created equal. Redfish and cunner were numerically dominant at station 12 where cobble and boulder piles were prevalent. These deposits created large interstices which these fishes used for shelter. The chi-square test of homogeneity of distribution showed that both species were not randomly distributed over rocky habitat but occured exclusively in boulder piles (with deep interstices) and not at all in partially buried boulders or cobble. Benefits: This project is beginning to elucidate the seafloor habitat requirements of fishes and associated fauna in the Gulf of Maine. Most previous work has used trawl catches as the sample unit, a technique which obscures ecological relationships with small scale features. Knowledge of habitat requirements of fishes, commercially important taxa in particular, is needed to address management objectives of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary as well as mandates in the Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Techniques for habitat characterization developed in this and related studies will be used to aid NOAA FIG Grant recipients regarding habitat characterization of ocean aquaculture sites. New Research Topics and Directions: This project provided data to allow us to continue this line of work in several directions: 1. We will conduct a spring cruise in order to replicate this survey for winter-spring assemblage of fish in SBNMS. 2. Survey data will be used to evaluate the value of fractal-d meaurements as an index of habitat complexity. 3. Survey data will also be used to evaluate image analysis techniques, based on sidescan sonar images, to develop indices of complexity based on variation in gray scale values. Leg 1    Begin Date: 7/20/1995   End Date: 7/27/1995   Support Vessel/Platform: R/V Argo Maine System Ops Days Dives Dive Time (hrs) Depth (m) Phantom S2 - NA&GL 8 20 41.08 90 (click image to go to interactive dive map) Keymap: Location of Project Dives: Legend: Phantom S2 - NA&GL Auster, Peter; Michalopoulos, Christos, Robertson, Robert III, Valentine, Page C.; Joy, Kevin; and Cross, VeeAnn, 1998. Use of acoustic methods for classification and monitoring of seafloor habitat complexity: Description of approaches. Pp. 186-197 in N.W.P. Munro and J.H.M. Willison, eds. Linking protected areas with working landscapes, conserving biodiversity. Science and Management of Protective Areas Association, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Auster, Peter J.; Michalopoulos, Christos; Valentine, Page C.; and Malatesta, Richard J. 1998. Delineating and monitoring habitat management units in a temperate deepwater marine protected area. Pp. 169-185, in N.W.P. Munro and J.H.M. Willison, eds. Linking protected areas with working landscapes, conserving biodiversity. Science and Management of Protective Areas Association, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

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