MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary September 11th, 2009

Research Activity Panel: Meeting Summary
Chris Harrold, RAP Chair

Hosts:
Fiorenza Micheli - Marine Conservation Biology (Hopkins Marine Station)
David Epel - Water Quality (Hopkins Marine Station)

Location:
Hopkins Marine Station,
Agassiz Building, Room 11,
120 Oceanview Boulevard,
Pacific Grove, CA

Date: Friday, September 11th, 2009; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

In Attendance:

* Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Primary)

† Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Alternate)

CONSENT ITEMS

Introductions/Modifications to the Agenda (Chris Harrold)

• Dave Epel retired from Hopkins Marine Station in January, interested in continuing RAP
• Greg Cailliet retired from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in June, interested in continuing RAP

HOST PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION

Overview of Research at the Hopkins Marine Station (Fiorenza Micheli)

• Fio provided an overview of Hopkins Marine Station faculty and recent research
• Several highlights include:
  • Mapping Human Impacts to Marine Ecosystems (including CA Current)
    • Data sets avail at NCEAS web, including Google Earth KML files: http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/GlobalMarine
    • Applications: setting priorities; condition assessments; spatial planning
  • Hopkins Marine Life Observatory (http://mlo.stanford.edu/index.htm)
  • Kelp forest observatory, in development

PRESENTATION

Project to Use MPAs as Demographic Reference Sites for Assessment and Management of Data Limited Species (Alec MacCall/NOAA Fisheries)

• Alec gave a brief presentation on how MPAs could be used to assess and manage small local fisheries (using a multi-species approach)
• An open, ad hoc group began discussing this issue at the MPA Science Integration workshops at the NMFS Santa Cruz lab; Recent participants include:
  • Alec MacCall, John Field and Amber Morris (NMFS)
  • Steve Katz (NOS)
  • Meisha Key (CDFG)
  • Jono Wilson and Matt Kay (UCSB)
  • Carey McGilliard (UW)
  • Kristen Honey (Stanford)
  • Rod Fujita and Jerry Moxley (EDF)
  • Beth Babcock (Pew)
  • Burr Heneman
• Conventional management approaches for small fisheries are problematic
  • Conventional data needs are the same, large or small, but not affordable for small fisheries (scale of 10 miles; small geographic range of fish and fishery)
  • Local variations
  • Not much management exists for small fisheries
  • Localized resources can be easily depleted
• Basic Scheme:
  • Use fish densities and/or size compositions in MPAs as an index of potential unfished levels
  • Compare with densities/size comps in fished areas
  • Restrict fishing season progressively as fish densities/size comps in the open areas decline relative to protected areas
  • This is an ecosystem approach, there are no explicit species quotas, and this system avoids allocation decisions
• Open vs protected areas
  • Density in each area scaled to unit value ca. time zero
  • Density is estimated annually in pairwise survey design
  • Length composition responds quickest (in one generation, ~20yr, mpa/unfished population will have stable length composition)
• Manage for relative density
• An adaptive management approach
• Multispecies management system
  • Season closures apply to all fishing, and protect all species
  • Density index used to determine season closures would reflect a mix of species
  • This management system works only for "resident" species

MBNMS FEDERAL MPAs INITIATIVE AND DISCUSSION

Update (Mike Eng/MBNMS)

• Mike provided an update on the MBNMS Federal MPA Initiative
• In collaboration, NOAA Fisheries (Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers) and MBNMS are moving forward with an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) for the California Current
• NOAA Fisheries is developing a work plan for FY2010; pilot will include IEA scaled to MBNMS (end of FY2010 deliverable)
• IEA collaboration will be announced at Pacific Fisheries Management Council September meeting

STAFF/SAC REQUESTS TO RAP

Suggestions for Sanctuary Currents Symposium Theme 2010 (Erica Burton/MBNMS)

• Multiple stressors on ecosystems and resilience (Micheli)
• Perhaps include long-term monitoring of parasites in marine ecosystems (Epel)
• Long term monitoring
• Human impacts on MBNMS: Oil spills, plastics, contaminants, nutrients, water quality (Storlazzi)
• Salmon issues (Yoklavich)
• State of the knowledge of the system; an overview of what is known/unknown; link to Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA); could frame by habitat; perhaps link to monitoring, get students involved with monitoring (Lindholm)
• Monitoring programs in the sanctuary (Selbie)
• Institutional Profiles; local research/science is the powerhouse of Monterey Bay area; what each is doing to contribute to the MBNMS; Center for Ocean Solutions is working on a review of institutions (Van Dyke)
• Strengths/Highlights of local institutions, recap of upcoming meeting series (Kristin Honey)
• IEA: brings in stressors, monitoring, different habitats, the unknowns; state problem in a way that will open the door to solutions (Hunt)
• Societal needs and ecosystem based services; stressors, threats to those; what are trade-offs; what do we want to derive from the marine environment (Mike Eng)
• What are all the uses of the Sanctuary, and what are associated needs of each. What do we want to derive from the MBNMS and the associated stressors from each.
• Innovative cutting edge solutions to marine environment problems; message of hope, different ways of thinking (Harrold)

DISCUSSION ITEMS

August 21st SAC Meeting Debrief (Chris Harrold)

• Chris provided brief overview of the SAC meeting, topics included:
  • SAC Charter renewed
  • Update on proposal by public to sink a ship for artificial reef
  • "Voices of the Bay" Education/Curriculum Program; program co-created by fishing community
  • Update on the Santa Cruz Exploration Center
  • Update on Federal MPA Initiative
  • For more information, see SAC minutes website: http://montereybay.noaa.gov/intro/advisory/sac_min.html#2009

Expiration of 3-yr Terms and Filling Open Seats (Chris Harrold)

• 3-year terms are expiring for 16 RAP members in November
• Memberships are renewable by agreement between the selection committee and the RAP member
• In addition, 3 seats are vacant
• Membership committee was formed according to RAP policies:
  • Chris Harrold (RAP and SAC Chair)
  • Andrew DeVogelaere (Research Coordinator)
  • Paul Michel (Superintendent)
  • John Hunt (RAP volunteer)
  • http://montereybay.noaa.gov/research/RAPhistory/rap_policies.html
• Members will be contacted to discuss if they are meeting membership criteria and/or interest in renewing membership
• Email nominations for open seats and renewals to Andrew.DeVogelaere@noaa.gov

SUGGESTED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

• Presentation on IEAs (e.g., Phil Levin, Frank Schwing, John Stein), including IEAs that have been implemented (per Yoklavich)
• Marine Spatial Planning presentation (per Harrold); Fio recently heard Marine Spatial Planning talk from Massachusetts, or speaker from Center for Ocean Solutions (Meg Caldwell)

 

Future Agenda Items (running list):

• Water Quality
  • Critical coastal areas presentation (ASBS, areas water quality impaired, areas in good state; Ross Clark)
• SIMoN
  • SIMoN Special Status Species Project (Jennifer Brown)
  • Linking SIMoN to management (Amber Szoboszlai)
• MPAs
  • MPA monitoring projects (Jason Vasques)
• Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS)
• Wave Model Development and Implementation (Paul Wittmann/Fleet Numerical)
• Data integration across monitoring programs (e.g., water quality, PISCO, MARINe, IOOS), and availability to the public
• MARS cable (per Kildow, speaker = Marcia or other, schedule when MBARI hosts)
• Recent event: Supreme Court allows Navy Sonar (per John Hunt)
• NOAA Twin Otter plane comes to Monterey
• Predicting sea level rise for the state of California (Larry Breaker, JPL, OPC)
• CeNCOOS update (new website: activities)
• High-res models of CA (Cayan or Dettinger/USGS)
• MBNMS Desal Guidelines (Brad Damitz)
• CeNCOOS (or other OOS group) to inform/update RAP/SAC on current ocean acidification monitoring activities
• National Weather Service Forecast Office (Tom Evans, Warning Coordination Meteorologist)
• Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae (OMEGA), Jonathan Trent, NASA-AMES
• Balanced scientific discussion on ocean acidification/climate change (MBARI?)
• California State Furloughs and RAP Members, reschedule meetings?