MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary May 9th, 2008

Research Activity Panel: Meeting Summary
Chris Harrold, Monterey Bay Aquarium, RAP Chair

Host: Kerstin Wasson - Estuarine Ecology (Elkhorn Slough NERR and Foundation)

Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville, CA 95076

Date: Friday, May 9th, 2008; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

In Attendance:

* Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Primary)

† Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Alternate) - VACANT

CONSENT ITEMS

Introductions/modifications to the agenda (Chris Harrold)

PRESENTATION

Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project (Bryan Largay/ESNERR)

• Bryan discussed the components of ecosystem-based management, and the preliminary alternatives being considered to reduce tidal erosion
• www.elkhornslough.org/tidalwetlandproject/index.html

Elkhorn Slough: Regulatory challenges and economic impacts (Judith Kildow/ National Ocean Economics Program & MBARI)

• Judith discussed the challenges to restore Elkhorn Slough to salt marsh or let it become mostly mud flat, including policy and economics, and the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) Method
• www.oceaneconomics.org

MPA Social Science (Carrie Pomeroy)

• Carrie outlined social science methods, various social science guidance documents, social science applications, MPA social science in the region since 2003, and other relevant social science topics

Monitoring MPAs under the MLPA (Cheri Recchia/MPAs Monitoring Enterprise)

• Cheri reviewed core questions, the purpose of monitoring, MPA system goals (Marine Life Protection Act), traditional monitoring foci, monitoring targets, future management decisions, next steps, and longer term issues
• www.calost.org/monitoring_ent.html

DISCUSSION ITEM

April SAC meeting debrief (Chris Harrold)

• Chris reviewed the April SAC meeting discussion on the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). Chris agreed to bring LBAM issue to RAP for discussion. A future presentation to the RAP, on the impacts to marine environment, was suggested.
• Chris reviewed the MBNMS MPA Decision Rationale Document; which was emailed to RAP in preparation for this meeting. Lisa Wooninck (Environmental Policy Advisor/MBNMS) will be forming science panel, and would like a RAP member to participate in the panel

RAP Membership - vacant seats (Chris Harrold)

• As requested by the RAP at the March 14th meeting, John Hunt applied for SAC Research Alternate (RAP vice-chair)
• Nominations received for other vacant seats
  • Deep-sea Ecology (alternate): 2 nominations
  • Fisheries (alternate): 2 nominations
  • Nearshore Ecology (primary): 1 nomination
  • Physical Oceanography (alternate): 3 nominations
• Volunteer for selection committee requested: Curt Storlazzi volunteered
• Committee [RAP Chair (meeting leader), a volunteer RAP member, MBNMS Research Coordinator, MBNMS Superintendent, and SAC Chair] will contact those nominated to see if interested; bio information will be requested; committee will make decision
• http://montereybay.noaa.gov/research/RAPhistory/rap_policies.html

Regional Sediment Management Report - RAP Review (Curt Storlazzi)

• Curt briefly reviewed a report entitled "Regional Sediment Management - Offshore Canyon Sand Capture," assessing the potential for capturing sand before it is lost from the coastal zone to un-recoverable depths, a 76-page final position paper report prepared by Moffet and Nichols on contract by US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the CA Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup (CSMW)
• The USACE asked the USGS to review the document
• Curt Storlazzi (USGS) sent it to the RAP for review
• Comments provided by several RAP members (Andrew DeVogelaere, Kerstin Wasson, Charlie Paull, Curt Storlazzi), and others (Brad Damitz/MBNMS, Bryan Largay/ESNERR, Ed Thorton/NPS)
• Curt Storlazzi provided 8 pages of RAP and MBNMS comments to USACE and MBNMS.

Sanctuary Currents Symposium (Hugo Selbie/MBNMS)

• Hugo reviewed the happenings at the April 5, 2008, symposium "Oceans of Change: Our Climate, Our Sanctuary, Our Future"; including the speaker line-up, the Ricketts Memorial Lecture (James P. Barry, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), and the research poster award winners
• http://montereybay.noaa.gov/research/symposium.html

SUGGESTED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

• Mystery Spill November 2007: Raphe Kudela, John Ryan, Steve Ramp, Heather Kerkering
• Ocean Science Summit: Judith Kildow

Future Agenda Items (running list):

• Water Quality
  • Findings on tracking pathogens in sea otters and connection to FW flows (CDFG, UC Davis?)
  • Critical coastal areas presentation (ASBS, areas water quality impaired, areas in good state; Ross Clark)
• Food Safety Measures and Affected Wildlife (requested by Mary Yoklavich)
• SIMoN
  • SIMoN: future monitoring (JMPR or beyond)
  • SIMoN Special Status Species Project (Jennifer Brown)
  • Linking SIMoN to management (Amber Szoboszlai)
• MPAs
  • The first five years of monitoring the Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas Network (Satie Airame, Sean Hastings, or Chris Harrold)
  • CINMS MPA evaluation (Mark Carr/NCEAS)
  • MPA science synthesis - MLPA (Mark Carr)
  • MPA monitoring projects (Jason Vasques)
• Coastal armoring and coastal erosion (Ed Thornton)
• Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS)
• MLML expansion, Sustainable Seafood Process Plant (Kenneth Coale)
• Wave Model Development and Implementation (Paul Wittmann/Fleet Numerical)
• Light Brown Apple Moth spraying (requested by Judith Kildow; Henric Kbiek; Ingrid Parker): aquatic/marine research issues/impacts?