Research Technical Report

Testing Transplant Methods For Restoring Rocky Intertidal Algae After Human Induced Disturbances

DeVogelaere, A.P., A. Fukuyama, S. Urner, and R. Hoff (January 1997)

Presentation at Western Society of Naturalists Meeting, La Paz, Mexico

ABSTRACT

After large and small scale human disturbances, resource management agencies search for mitigation methods. The Exxon Valdez oil spill and subsequent clean-up operations left extensive areas of the upper rocky shore barren, and recovery of the dominant species, Fucus gardneri, has been relatively slow. Transplanting individual Fucus of various sizes, as well as complete assemblages on boulders, was tested as a way to mitigate damage and enhance recovery rates of impacted areas. Transplanting individuals was time consuming and only partially successful, especially for large, adult plants. Moving boulders, with intact Fucus assemblages, was more cost effective and successful. However, it is necessary to consider the original tidal height and regional proximity when selecting assemblages to transplant. In relation to physical disturbances caused by a grounded fishing vessel in central California, similar experiments are currently underway for the Endocladia/Mastocarpus assemblage.