Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary Benthic Habitat Project
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Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary Benthic Habitat Project Susan Schlosser and Annie Eicher Published by California Sea Grant College Program Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive #0231 La Jolla CA 92093-0231 (858) 534-4446 www.csgc.ucsd.edu Publication No. T-075 This document was supported in part by the National Sea Grant College Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and produced under NOAA grant number NA10OAR4170060, project number C/P-1 through the California Sea Grant College Program. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of any of those organizations. Sea Grant is a unique partnership of public and private sectors, combining research, education, and outreach for public service. It is a national network of universities meeting changing environmental and economic needs of people in our coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes regions. Photographs: All photographs taken by S. Schlosser, A. Eicher or D. Marshall unless otherwise noted. Suggested citation: Schlosser, S., and A. Eicher. 2012. The Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary Benthic Habitat Project. California Sea Grant Publication T-075. 246 p. This document and individual maps can be downloaded from: http://ca-sgep.ucsd.edu/ humboldthabitats Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary Benthic Habitat Project Final Report to the California State Coastal Conservancy Agreement Number 06-085 August 2012 Susan Schlosser1 and Annie Eicher2 1 California Sea Grant, 2 Commercial Street Suite 4, Eureka, CA 95501 2 HT Harvey & Associates, Arcata, CA Acknowledgements The co-authors of the Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary Benthic Habitat Report have many people to thank who were involved in this project. Project funds were procured from the California Coastal Conservancy and the NOAA Coastal Services Center. This report and the associated habitat classifications were developed through a collaborative effort of the Habitat Project Advisory Committee, NOAA Coastal Service Center, Photo Science, The Nature Conservancy, the University of California Sea Grant Extension Program, and the California Coastal Conservancy. Rebecca Lunde and Christina Hoffman, NOAA Coastal Service Center, mentored and advised the project in early stages with valuable insights from their work on the San Francisco Bay Subtidal Habitat Project. Mark Finkbeiner and Nancy Cofer-Shabica, NOAA Coastal Services Center, lead the imagery collection and habitat mapping processes. Richard Eastlake and Mark Meade, Photo Science, drafted the habitat maps under the guidance of Mark Finkbeiner, Chris Robinson, and Rebecca Love, NOAA Coastal Services Center. Mark Finkbeiner also provided essential expertise on the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard. Margaret Spring, The Nature Conservancy, got us started on the Conservation Action Planning process and provided us with web resources. The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District provided a boat and the services of their excellent bar pilots John Powell and Tim Petrusha to accomplish groundtruthing for the habitat mapping. Bruce Slocum provided invaluable logistics in the Eel River Estuary. The imagery could not have been acquired without the assistance of the Eureka National Weather Service Office. Nancy Dean, Meteorologist-in-Charge, and her many expert colleagues provided precise weather updates when conditions were correct to ensure a successful imagery data set. Our Project Manager, Joel Gerwein, California Coastal Conservancy, contributed above and beyond his responsibilities, providing written materials and innovative approaches to addressing management considerations. The University of California Sea Grant Extension Program provided funds for the Habitat Project Advisory Committee chair and staff who wrote the report, prepared the EndNote library, verified intertidal habitats and identified algal specimens. We also thanks Joann Furse, California Sea Grant Communications, for thoroughly editing this document. We are especially thankful to Debbie Marshall, Administrative Assistant in the Eureka Sea Grant Office, for her tireless work to compile references, format, edit, and design this publication. The Habitat Project Advisory Committee contributed countless hours at meetings, reviewing draft documents, and providing their expertise and knowledge. We are thankful to have worked with a group of dedicated professional scientists and managers. Habitat Project Advisory Committee Affiliation Diane Ashton National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Region Steve Cannata California Department of Fish and Game Annie Eicher H.T. Harvey & Associates Mark Finkbeiner NOAA Coastal Services Center Vicki Frey California Department of Fish and Game Joel Gerwein State Coastal Conservancy Andrea Pickart U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bill Pinnix U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kirsten Ramey California Department of Fish and Game Susan Schlosser University of California Sea Grant Extension Program Adam Wagschal H.T. Harvey & Associates i Contents Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................................i Table of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... xv Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................xvi Chapter 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Project Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................................... 1 Need for the Project .................................................................................................................... 2 Relationship to the Humboldt Bay Initiative .............................................................................. 4 Humboldt Bay Ecosystem – Geospatial Extent .......................................................................... 6 The Study Area ........................................................................................................................... 6 Regional Setting .......................................................................................................................... 9 Humboldt Bay ........................................................................................................................ 9 History ............................................................................................................................. 17 Eel River Estuary ................................................................................................................. 19 History ............................................................................................................................. 22 Chapter 2. Methods for Compiling the Habitat Profiles ................................................................ 25 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 25 Habitat Profile Themes .............................................................................................................. 25 General Description ................................................................................................................. 26 Distribution and Location ......................................................................................................... 26 Physical Characteristics ........................................................................................................ 26 Biotic Communities .................................................................................................................. 27 Ecosystem Services ................................................................................................................... 27 Management Recommendations ............................................................................................... 28 Chapter 3. Benthic Habitat Imagery Acquisition and Classification Methods .............................. 30 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 30 Geographic Information System (GIS) Data Source Inventory ................................................ 30 Aerial Imagery Acquisition ....................................................................................................... 32 Determination of Imagery Criteria ....................................................................................... 32 National Hydrographic Database ......................................................................................... 35 Signature Development ........................................................................................................ 35 Benthic Habitat Delineation ...................................................................................................... 48 Photointerpretation ............................................................................................................... 48 Imagery Interpretation Guidelines ................................................................................... 49 Classification Conventions .............................................................................................