PROPOSAL TO THE GULF OF MEXICO FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
PROPOSED HAPCs/MPAs FOR MESOPHOTIC AND DEEPWATER CORAL/SPONGE HABITAT and ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO Principal Investigators John Reed, Stephanie Farrington
The Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Florida Atlantic University
GOMFMC Webinar, Sept. 22, 2014 NOAA COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR OCEAN EXPLORATION, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY (CIOERT)
•Explore outer continental shelf edge frontiers •Study vulnerable coral/sponge ecosystems •Develop advanced undersea technologies Project Goals • Map & characterize the benthic habitat, macrobenthic biota, and fish populations within and adjacent to newly designated shelf-edge MPAs and CHAPCs off the SE US.
• Compare with prior and future surveys to better understand long- term health and status of these important deepwater coral/sponge ecosystems.
• Provide information to resource managers to inform decisions on protected habitats and managed key species.
2010-2014 HBOI CIOERT Cruises to Pulley Ridge
ROV Surveys and Multibeam Mapping
Proposed Extension to PR HAPC = Red
PR HAPC = Yellow
Proposed Extension to Pulley Ridge HAPC
Multibeam sonar of Pulley Ridge D. Naar (10 m res); 2011 Nancy Foster (1-2 m resolution)
Proposed Extension to Pulley Ridge HAPC = Red
Pulley Ridge HAPC = Yellow
WEST RIDGE Proposed Extension to Pulley Ridge HAPC
West Ridge- West of Pulley Ridge HAPC
• Nine CIOERT ROV dives were made in 2011-2014 in which quantitative surveys of benthic habitat and fish populations were conducted in 1 km2 random blocks.
• From the sonar, the west ridge appears to parallel the main HAPC ridge all the way south to the southern drop off.
• We found this site to be somewhat similar to the main ridge but slightly deeper (86 m at the base, 84 m on top). It was 100% hard bottom; dominant benthic species included: dense and diverse sponges, dense gorgonacea and Antipathidae (black coral); green algae- Anadyomene and red algae; scleractinian corals were mostly Oculina diffusa and Madracis spp. Sponges were more diverse and dense than the main ridge.
• Numerous red grouper pits were documented. West Pulley Ridge West Pulley Ridge Red grouper pits on Pulley Ridge in high definition multibeam sonar map (8-10 m diameter pits) Red grouper in burrow. Red grouper pits form an oasis which provides habitat to hundreds of reef fish such as bicolor damsels, anthiids, yellowtail reeffish, cardinalfish, angelfish, and unfortunately, recently numerous lionfish.
PR HAPC West Southern Central Proposed Total HAPC IN HAPC Ridge Dropoff Basin Extension + Proposed Average Diameter (m) 8.05 14.35 13.34 13.84 Count of pits in in km2 340 34 85 119 Density #/km2 392.61 34.00 86.78 60.12 Ridge Size (km2) 346.84 109.23 56.22 155.87 321.31 668.16 Estimated number of pits 136,174.38 3,713.73 4,878.54 n/a 19,316.25 155,490.63 Estimated number of red grouper pits on Pulley Ridge based on multibeam maps. Numerous pits were ground-truthed with ROV and most were found to be active. Each pit typically has 1 grouper and now >dozen lionfish per pit are common.
Proposed Extension to PR HAPC = Red
PR HAPC = Yellow
SOUTHERN DROPOFF Proposed Extension to Pulley Ridge HAPC
Southern Dropoff, Including Howell’s Hook
• This was surveyed by JSL sub dives in 2010 and Kraken ROV dives in 2012, and multibeam sonar during the 2011 Nancy Foster cruise. The western part of this drop off is referred to Howell’s Hook in NOAA regional bathymetric charts. This is apparently essential fish habitat to a number of large grouper species.
• The multibeam shows a 50-m relief escarpment, oriented NW-SE; 84-172 m depth. The base of the wall has high-relief rock mounds and the escarpment is a rocky slope of 45-90o. We encountered five abandoned fish traps with pile of long line on top.
• Although the sessile benthic biota is relatively sparse compared to the upper Pulley Ridge terrace, the populations of large fish appeared much denser, especially scamp grouper. We documented large Warsaw grouper, speckled hind (endangered species), scamp grouper, gag grouper, dozens of greater amberjack, purple reef fish, lionfish, snapper, and sharks.
Scamp grouper, ghost trap and red grouper on drop-off escarpment of Pulley Ridge (Kraken ROV, 2011 Nancy Foster cruise).
Proposed Extension to PR HAPC = Red
PR HAPC = Yellow
CENTRAL BASIN Proposed Extension to Pulley Ridge HAPC
The Central Basin of Pulley Ridge • The 2014 CIOERT cruise were the first dives in this relatively flat region of Pulley Ridge. ROV dives were made to ground-truth this portion of the multibeam map which hasn’t been described previously.
• To our amazement we discovered the densest cover of agariciid plate corals known in the Gulf of Mexico including Flower Gardens NMS, Florida Middle Grounds HAPC, or Florida Keys NMS. And greater density than in Pulley Ridge HAPC!
• These included Agaricia lamarcki and/or grahamae, A. fragilis, Leptoseris cucullata.
• Quantitative photographs were taken every 30 seconds during surveys of 1 km2 random blocks. These downward images have 10 cm lasers for scale and each image is ~1.5 m2.
• We found many of the images to have 3-10 individual coral colonies per image which would be 2-6 corals/m2.
• Some colonies of the Agaricia exceeded tens of m in diameter.
Fields of Agaricia coral outside of the HAPC in the Central Basin of Pulley Ridge.
2013-2014 HBOI CIOERT surveys with Mohawk ROV of random 1 km2 blocks outside of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Red blocks had reef and hard bottom habitat.
Yellow polygon = Continuation of Miller’s Ledge, survey with ROV in 2014.
Black polylines = 2010 JSL sub dive tracks west of the TER found high relief coral/sponge habitat and dense scamp grouper populations along with dense ghost trap gear.
Millers’ Ledge West of South TER
Yellow polygon = Areas of mesophotic patch reefs occur along and outside of the western boundary of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. An extensive mesophotic fringing reef occurs outside of the North TER along the west edge.
PROPOSAL TO THE GULF OF MEXICO FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
PROPOSED HAPC/MPA FOR DEEPWATER LOPHELIA CORAL REEF AND ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO
Principal Investigators John Reed, Stephanie Farrington
The Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Florida Atlantic University
GOMFMC Webinar, Sept. 22, 2014 West Florida Shelf Lophelia Coral Mounds and 500-m Escarpment
• An extensive escarpment/wall extends over 133 nmi at a depth of ~500 m along the SW Florida shelf from Naples to south of Pulley Ridge. The escarpment is ~30-m in relief, rugged, limestone rock, with corals, gorgonians, black coral and sponges.
• Along the base of the wall are a variety of Lophelia coral and rock mounds. Some of the WFS Lophelia mounds are up to nearly 100% cover of live Lophelia pertusa coral, capping steep sloped (10-60o) pinnacle shaped mounds, 20-30 m relief, at depths of ~500 m. Individual coral colonies are 0.5 to 1.5 m in height and provide habitat for hundreds of species of small invertebrates and juvenile fish.
• 1987-Early documentation of coral mounds on WFS with sonar, drop camera, and sled (Newton C. R., H. Mullins, F. Gardulski, A. Hine, and G. Dix. 1987. Florida slope: unanswered questions regarding the development of deep-water banks. Palaios 2: 359–367.)
West Florida Shelf Lophelia Coral Mounds and 500-m Escarpment
• 2003- First multibeam map of Lophelia coral mounds (NOAA Ron Brown), and ground-truth with ROV (Reed, J.K., D. Weaver, S.A. Pomponi. 2006. Habitat and fauna of deep-water Lophelia pertusa coral reefs off the Southeastern USA: Blake Plateau, Straits of Florida, and Gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science 78(2): 343-375.)
• August 2010- First manned submersible dives (Johnson-Sea-Link II) on the Lophelia mounds (Reed, J.K. and S. Rogers. 2011. Final Cruise Report. Florida shelf-edge expedition (FLoSEE), deepwater Horizon oil spill response. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Technical Report #127, 82 pages.
• November 2010- NOAA Jason ROV dives on Lophelia coral mound.
• 2014- Expedition with NOAA Okeanos Explorer planned to explore with MB sonar and ROV several of the Lophelia coral mound sites near the northern end of this escarpment region off Naples. Dives were canceled after two dives due to strong currents.
The Need of Protection
• Deepwater corals grow very slowly, ~1/2” year, and are very fragile and subject to breakage from bottom tending fishing gear, including weights, longlines, fish/crab traps and trawls. A single coral mound may be 100-thousands of years old.
• ROV surveys of deep-water Lophelia coral reefs worldwide has found that 30%– 50% of the reefs have been damaged from bottom gear; at some sites almost all corals have been crushed (Fosså et al., 2002).
• Deepwater Oculina coral mounds off eastern Florida have been documented to have up to 100% destruction from bottom trawling for deepwater shrimp (Reed et al., 2007).
• Deepwater royal red shrimp are trawled which would impact any coral habitat.
• Golden crab, Chaceon fenneri, are common on the Lophelia reefs and are fished with longline crab pots, which would destroy coral habitat (Reed and Farrington, 2010).
Multibeam of West Florida Shelf Lophelia Reefs and Escarpment 133 nmi long escarpment at 500 m depth, from single swath of multibeam sonar by Dave Naar (USF). Region of deepwater Lophelia coral habitat.
Deepwater Lophelia Coral Habitat on West Florida Shelf
Maps 2,3 WFS Lophelia coral habitat and escarpment along 500-m contour. Maps 4,5 WFS Lophelia coral habitat and escarpment along 500-m contour.
Maps 6,7 WFS Lophelia coral habitat and escarpment along 500-m contour.
Maps 8,9 WFS Lophelia coral habitat and escarpment along 500-m contour.
Thickets of deepwater Lophelia coral capping a 30-m tall mound (Reed, 2010). Catsharks are commonly found and apparently breeding on the Lophelia reefs. Golden crab, Chaceon fenneri, are common on the Lophelia reefs and are fished with longline crab pots, which would destroy coral habitat. Deepwater royal red shrimp are trawled which would impact any coral habitat.