MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary September 9th, 2011

Research Activity Panel:
Meeting Summary
Chris Harrold, RAP Chair

Location:

Ocean View Conference Room
Monterey Bay Aquarium
886 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA

Date: Friday, September 9th, 2011; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

* Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Primary)

† Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Alternate)

CONSENT ITEMS

Introductions/Modifications to the Agenda (Harrold)

RAP MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Harrold announced James Lindholm as the new SAC Research Alternate

HOST PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION

What's Up at the Monterey Bay Aquarium? (Harrold)

• Harrold provided overview of MBA Activities
  • Mission and Strategies
  • Visitors and Audience
  • Financial Overview
  • Conservation Research Initiatives
• Three main conservation research programs amount to $2M of ~$70M MBA budget
  • Bluefin tuna tagging in the North Pacific
  • White shark research
  • Sea otter pup rehabilitation
    • RAP Discussion: trade-off of possible negative population impact of reintroduction vs. advantage of increasing animal care skills and knowledge

PRESENTATION REQUESTED BY RAP

Central Coast MPA Monitoring and Upcoming 5-Year Review (Elizabeth Whiteman and Madhavi Colton/MPA Monitoring Enterprise)

• Whiteman provided background
  • MPA Monitoring Enterprise established 2007, four person staff, housed within Ocean Science Trust
  • "To lead development of science-based, useful, and cost-effective MPA monitoring"
  • Not advocacy-based, does not make management decisions
  • MPA monitoring a test case for bridging science, policy, management
  • MPA monitoring as a cycle: plan monitoring, implement data collection, analyze data, report results, adapt monitoring
• Colton discussed approaching 5-year review of Central Coast MPA network (late 2012-early 2013)
  • Structured as a) characterization of region, and b) initial changes
  • Results will be reported via a) technical reports, b) glossy report, and c) three-day symposium in late 2012
  • Management review process by DFG completely undefined at this point
• RAP discussion: What exactly is being monitored?
  • Most of monitoring funded by OPC thus far has been baseline information rather than long-term monitoring
  • "Implementation conditions" may be more appropriate term than "baseline"
  • PIs responsible for data analysis, not Monitoring Enterprise
  • Longstanding Central Coast MPAs may provide a context for monitoring expectations

STAFF REQUEST TO RAP

Access Monterey Peninsula (AMP) TV and "Your Sanctuary" (Paul Michel/MBNMS)

• Michel requested help from RAP in contributing ideas, material, and production of weekly 30 minute local access TV show
• AMP serves 250,000 customers locally, show will also be broadcast to Santa Cruz market, interest from out-of-area markets as well
• 1-hour pilot will debut in October 2011
• Potential for film crew to accompany student cruises, field trips to tidepools, follow grad students
• MBNMS contacts: Paul Michel or Deirdre Whalen

SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE

SAC Update (Harrold)

• Harrold discussed two highlights of 18 August 2011 SAC Meeting
  • SAC received update from Rikki Dunsmore on MBNMS Ecosystem Based Management Initiative
    • Michel provided clarification of EBMI process, including first generation California Current IEA (with nested Monterey Bay IEA)
  • Motorized personal water craft (MPWC) rule debate/discussion, Harrold asked for RAP feedback
    • There is some existing permitted MPWC research use by RAP members

SANCTUARY RESEARCH UPDATE

Sanctuary Research Update (DeVogelaere)

• DeVogelaere described a sample of recent MBNMS Research Team projects
  • Research Areas workshop summary report submitted to ONMS Conservation Series
  • Writing summary of Unique and Rare Workshop
  • Finishing up Natural Resource Assessment – a summary of habitats in federal waters of Sanctuary
  • Providing information on long-term invertebrates datasets to feed into IEA
  • Pulling MBNMS Research Needs out from Management Plan, Condition Report, etc. to have them all in one place
    • RAP interested in seeing this
  • HQ interest in sentinel site concept, MBNMS able to choose its own
  • Working on MBNMS map showing all SIMoN project sampling locations
  • Compiling existing research on whales and krill to feed into ship strikes issue
  • Summarizing cumulative AIS large vessel traffic data with monthly plots
  • iPhone SIMoN Photo Library app
  • Beach COMBERS restructure / alternative funding mechanism
  • Summary of local knowledge of area above Davidson Seamount, threats assessment
  • Working with CalTrans on Big Sur slides

SUGGESTED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

• What a "Sentinel Site" should be; defining the concept locally
  • ACTION: Do this at next meeting. DeVogelaere could present Steve Gittings' Powerpoint on the topic

Future Agenda Items (running list):

• Predicting sea level rise for the state of California (Larry Breaker, JPL, OPC)
• EBMI/IEA presentations
  • IEAs, including those that have been implemented (e.g., Phil Levin, Frank Schwing, John Stein; per Yoklavich)
• Ken Johnson work in Elkhorn Slough (per McPhee-Shaw)
• Marine Policy issues (Sacramento; D.C.) that may need science input (per Ramp; Aimee David volunteered; or Adina Abeles)
• Climate Change
  • Rather than MBNMS tackle all climate change topics, perhaps let GFNMS/CBNMS continue as lead on climate change issues (per DeVogelaere), and request the following presentations:
    • GFNMS/CBNMS Ocean Climate Initiative (speaker: Higgason)
    • GFNMS/CBNMS Climate Change Impacts Report (speaker: Largier)
  • Perhaps tackle what GFNMS/CBNMS not working on (e.g., low oxygen; per Kudela)
  • Storlazzi is willing to help organize a general meeting on climate change science; State of the Science of climate change; adaptation plans; Perhaps MBCORC hosts a 1 or 2 day science meeting
    • CA coast (Lisa Sloan, UCSC; sea level rise, Breaker)
    • High-res climate models of CA (UCSC; or Dan Cayan or Dettinger/USGS)
    • What differences MBNMS might observe (per Starr)
    • NOAA Coastal Services Center putting together climate adaptation visualization tool (per Hunt)
  • Combine several sea level rise talks, including southern Monterey bay group, tidal wetland plan (Largay), and Breaker's talk (not urgent)
• Desalination update (per Abeles); things have changed since Brad Damitz talked to the RAP; get speakers who lead projects (MBNMS staff to determine; ask Raimondi for advice...Cambria)
• RAP Membership Committee update