Coastal Zone Management Section 309 Grant: 2001 Nearshore Rocky Reef Assessment ROV Survey

Identification Information

Citation

Originator: Amend, Mark, David Fox, and Chris Romsos

Publish Date: 2001

Online Link: None

BPA Project #:

Contact Information

Agency: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Name: Cedric Cooney

Job Position: Natural Resources Data and Systems Manager

Telephone: 503-947-6094

E-Mail Address: cedric.x.cooney@odfw.oregon.gov

Description

Abstract: Oregon continues to face increased pressure to utilize living marine resources of nearshore subtidal rocky reef areas. Much of the increase has resulted from a shift toward nearshore reef fisheries due, initially, to the dramatic decrease in traditional salmon harvest, and now to a reduction of traditional groundfish fishing opportunities. The live-fish fishery and the sport bottomfish fishery focus effort in this rocky reef habitat, and the effect these fisheries have on fish populations within this limited space has not been fully assessed. Nearshore rocky reef environments comprise an area where fishing pressure continues to increase, stocks appear to be declining, and we have little information upon which to base management decisions. Resource managers and scientists need to develop this information for making sound resource management decisions. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Marine Habitat Project initiated a nearshore rocky reef research project in 1995 to begin gathering information necessary for managing nearshore reefs. This report represents work completed during 2001, continuing this effort. The use of rocky reefs as habitat by nearshore finfish is generally well accepted. How size and shape of habitat, time of year, month, or day, factor into our understanding of fish distribution on a species-by-species basis is poorly understood. Previous work examining rocky reef patch size and fish species abundance indicated species-specific relationships with available habitat exist (Fox, et al. 2000). Kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus), for example, occupied all ranges of rocky patch size, and increased their relative abundance with decreasing patch size. Many of the benthic rockfish species did not appear on the smallest rock patches. Our first year (2000) using a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) for nearshore sampling was primarily for the purpose of developing our capabilities and to address the hypothesis that available fish habitat is a limiting factor in both abundance and species composition (Fox, et al. 2000). Section 2 of this report describes the ROV operations and data collection techniques that have evolved from that initial work. Section 3 covers a comparison of fish utilization of the same small rocky reef patches sampled in 2000 (Figure 1.1.1) Most of Oregon’s nearshore remains unexplored by underwater observational means. One key role of the ROV is in obtaining reconnaissance information about a region for gross-scale descriptions and for planning future research. Section 4 of this report describes one of these exploratory ROV surveys of an unmapped reef near the mouth of the Siletz River in August 2001 (Figure 1.1.1). The ability of the ROV to sample unknown reef areas was tested and the methodological aspects of this are presented.

Purpose:

Time Period of Content: 2001

Geographic Extent: Oregon

Status: Final

Use Constraints:

Format: PDF

Data Quality Information

Lineage-Source: Final Report for 2001 Grant Cooperative Agreement PS01053. This work was funded in part by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development Coastal Management Program through a Section 309 Program Enhancement Grant from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Data Information

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Entity and Attribute Information

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Is a physical copy maintained for reference at Headquarters? Unknown