Research Technical Report

Characterizing the Deep: Surveys in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary 2007-2010

Institute for Applied Marine Ecology and
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (October 2011)

Technical Report, 14pp.

INTRODUCTION

In 2007, a partnership was formed between the Institute for Applied Marine Ecology (IfAME) at California State University Monterey Bay and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). The IfAME's mission is to bridge the gap between academic research and the information needs of managers and policy-makers. The MBNMS is the largest of the nation's thirteen sanctuaries. Stretching along California's Central Coast from Marin to Cambria, it encompasses 276 miles of shoreline and 4,601 square nautical miles of ocean.

The primary goal of this collaborative project is to characterize the continental shelf (50-200 m/165-650 ft water depth) and slope (200- 400 m/650-1300 ft) in the Sanctuary. Video transects are conducted at previously unexplored locations and areas of interest using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and a towed camera sled. Data on the distribution of fishes, invertebrates, and seafloor habitats are collected in real-time for inclusion on the Shelf Characterization and Image Display website (http://sep.csumb.edu/ifame/scid).

This publication encompasses the partnership's efforts over a four-year period from 2007-2010, with an emphasis on five study areas. In the following pages you will find maps depicting completed sampling at each location and the distribution of selected species at each of the study sites, as well as representative images of the many organisms we have encountered to-date.

Suggested Citation:

Institute for Applied Marine Ecology and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. 2011. Characterizing the Deep: Surveys in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary 2007-2010. 14pp. http://sep.csumb.edu/ifame/publications.php