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Fall 1998 |
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Page 7 |
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Inside |
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Critical Marine Mammal Habitats Research |
pg. 7 |
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SAC/Working Group Updates |
pg. 7 |
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An ongoing MBNMS-funded study of critical marine mammal habitats in the Sanctuary is studying the relationship between oceanographic processes, marine mammals, and feeding habits. The research will help provide a better under-standing of the relationship between animals - particularly endangered species such as blue and humpback whales - and their prey, and will provide further details about the Sanctuary and its habitats. The research project, coordinated by Research Biologist Don Croll of the Institute for Marine Sciences at UCSC, initially focused on the correlation between the distribution of marine mammals and their prey (particularly euphausiids, also called krill) throughout the Sanctuary. In a continuation of that study, Croll and his colleagues have now turned their focus to the relationship between physical processes in the ocean and the prey. "The abundance of krill in the Monterey Bay is an important factor in the region's productivity," says Croll. "The krill act as a link between phytoplankton in the upper part of the water column and higher level organisms, such as seabirds, marine mammals, and fishes." He explains that zooplankton (of which krill is a type) can feed upon the phytoplankton, whereas the higher-level organisms cannot; they eat the zooplankton. Therefore, the zooplankton - especially krill - form an important "trophic link" between primary production and the higher-level consumers. During the first two years of the study, the researchers studied the relationship between oceanographic processes, the abundance of krill, and whales. They learned about the whales' foraging behavior and the size and density of the krill patches that are good enough to be considered whale food. (Please see the Winter 1997 newsletter for details of this NOAA ship McArthur project.) In this study, Croll and his colleagues are particularly interested in the effects of El Niño events. Their goals are to measure the physical and biological processes that facilitate the seasonal productivity of krill in Monterey Bay, to determine how dependent zooplankton, seabird, and marine mammals are upon these processes, and to determine how the life history patterns (reproduction, migration, maturation, etc.) of these consumers relate to seasonal patterns in productivity. |
SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC):
The Council regularly receives presentations about issues of concern to the Sanctuary. This spring and summer, some of those presentations covered coastal initiatives and bond measures, effects of El Niño-driven storms, the UC MBEST (Monterey Bay Education, Science, and Technology) Center, vessel traffic management workshops, and the Sustainable Seas Expeditions.
SAC
Officers
In April the SAC elected a new Chair, Dr. Steve Webster,
and a new Secretary, Ed Brown. Rachel Saunders continues to
serve as Co-Chair. The SAC thanked Karin Strasser Kauffman
for her dedicated service during her two terms as Chair.
New Jade
Rule
A new federal regulatory amendment permitting
limited marine jade collection at Jade Cove took effect June
16, 1998. The collection protocols apply only to collection
at Jade Cove (southern Sand Dollar Beach to Cape San Martin
and to a depth of 90 feet) in accordance with regulatory
restrictions. Collection of jade in all other Sanctuary
areas remains prohibited.
(Note: Collection of marine jade from state submerged or
intertidal lands is still a violation of "State Law" unless
the collector has a permit or lease from the State Lands
Commission.) The SAC has sent a formal request to the State
Lands Commission asking that state regulations be amended to
be consistent with this new Sanctuary regulation.
SAC Retreat and
SAC/MBNMS Staff
Workshop
The SAC held its annual retreat this spring. The
meeting focused on communications and provided an
opportunity for the SAC and Superintendent Bill Douros to
get to know one another better. At the retreat, it was
decided to hold a joint meeting with Sanctuary staff.
That meeting, held in July, focused on establishing priorities for the upcoming year and clarifying SAC and office responsibilities.
RESEARCH
ACTIVITY PANEL (RAP)
Recently the RAP has met at various institutions,
receiving update presentations on UC Sea Grant, the UC MBEST
Center, the Pacific Fisheries Environmental Laboratory, El
Niño Studies by the US Geological Survey, the Naval
Postgraduate School's oceanography activities, MBARI, and
recent sea floor habitat mapping projects.
CalTrans
Activities at Big
Sur
Superintendent Bill Douros gave the RAP a brief
history of CalTrans operations on the Big Sur Coast relating
to road repairs from this winter's severe storms. The group
provided suggestions regarding road debris dumping locations
and mitigation strategies.
Diver
Disturbance Report
The RAP heard results of a preliminary study of
disturbances caused by SCUBA divers to kelp ecosystems.
While the study covered a variety of disturbances, the
report states that determining the ecological effects of
these disturbances would be difficult. The report does
provide useful information for resource managers in general,
however. The RAP is working on a document that recommends
further research on how to use this information to educate
divers and other Sanctuary visitors.
Sustainable
Seas Expeditions
The RAP formed a subcommittee to develop research
projects taking place under this program.
National Ocean
Conference (NOC)
Following on from the NOC, the Monterey Bay
Crescent Ocean Research Consortium is using the RAP to guide
and coordinate regional research.
SANCTUARY
EDUCATION PANEL (SEP)
The SEP continues to meet at members' institutions,
where it learns about those organizations' activities. This
spring and summer the SEP visited Point Lobos (State Parks),
MBARI, and Save Our Shores.
1999 - 2003
Education Plan
A large part of the SEP's time has been spent developing
an Education Plan to guide future Sanctuary education
projects. The SEP has divided into planning teams, each
working on a specific target audience (such as families,
young adults, etc.).
Outreach to
Higher Education and to the
South
The SEP has been joined by representatives from
Monterey Peninsula College and CSU Monterey Bay. Chet
Forrest, Sanctuary Advisory Council member from the southern
end of MBNMS, is helping identify southern audience needs
and educational opportunities.
Environmental
Issues Forum
In May, many SEP members took part in an "Environmental
Issues Forum," in which participants explored a model for
helping people critically examine controversial
environmental issues. Later this year, forum participants
will be offered training to become an EIF facilitator, and
the chance to join development teams to produce an MBNMS
"Marine Biodiversity Environmental Issues Forum Packet" and
a national World Wildlife Fund "Marine Biodiversity
Curriculum Module" for middle school youth.
CONSERVATION
WORKING GROUP (CWG)
For information on the CWG, please see the focus
article.
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To conduct this research, the scientists have established regularly-spaced stations from which electronic instruments measure salinity, temperature, and depth. These data, along with sea surface temperature, provide the physical setting. Simultaneously they conduct seabird, marine mammal, and krill surveys along a series of seven survey paths stretching from Santa Cruz to Cypress Point. Finally, they use an echosounder to measure krill density and - to interpret the echosounder data - they use nets to sample the krill layers they find. This year the scientists are seeking to under-stand better how large-scale changes in the physical and biological processes -such as those brought on by El Niño events - affect those organisms depending on krill as an important food source. Past El Niño events have severely limited the nutrient upwelling off Año Nuevo/ Davenport and other coastal areas, and they predict that the current El Niño will do the same. They believe that the major impact for higher trophic level species (birds, mammals, etc.) will be that this "trophic link" is cut because the krill won't reproduce and their decrease will cause a sharp decline in bird, dolphin, and whale populations. According to Croll, initial indications are that this El Niño may not have had as dramatic an effect as anticipated on krill populations in some parts of the Sanctuary. "Our current thought is that while local krill abundance is high - i.e., there is quite a bit of krill close to shore - offshore productivity is still very low," he says. "Basically, due to coastal upwelling, the only place to feed is close to shore, whereas normally, many species (such as blue whales) would be feeding further offshore. Because productivity (and krill abundance) is so low offshore, everything seems to have shifted inshore." Croll cautions, however, that it is still too early to draw firm conclusions. Studies like this one are important in developing a better understanding of the relationship between sea floor geology, ocean currents, plankton, fish, and large mammals. This research also helps paint a picture of the general health of biological populations in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. Other principal researchers involved in this project include Dr. Baldo Marinovic (UCSC), Scott Benson (MLML), Dr. Roger Hewitt (NMFS - SWFSC), Dr. David Demer (NMFS - SWFSC), Dr. Francisco Chavez (MBARI), Dr. Bernie Tershy (UCSC), and Dr. Dan Costa (UCSC). The project has also received funding from the Channel Islands NMS, NOAA's El Niño Rapid Response Program, and the Office of Naval Research. |
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Last modified on: June 14,
1999