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Long-Term Monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 2011–2012

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Long-Term Monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 2011–2012 OCS Study BOEM 2015-027 FGBNMS 2015-001 Long-Term Monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 2011–2012 Volume 1: Technical Report U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico OCS Region National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary OCS Study BOEM 2015-027 FGBNMS 2005-001 Long-Term Monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 2011–2012 Volume 1: Technical Report Authors Michelle A. Johnston Marissa F. Nuttall Ryan J. Eckert John A. Embesi Niall C. Slowey Emma L. Hickerson George P. Schmahl Prepared under BOEM Interagency Agreement M09PG00011 by U.S. Department of Commerce NOAA Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Avenue U, Bldg. 216 Galveston, TX 77551 Published by U.S. Department of the Interior New Orleans, LA Bureau of Ocean Energy Management June 2015 Gulf of Mexico OCS Region DISCLAIMER This report was prepared under an interagency agreement between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA FGBNMS). This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. Approval does not necessarily signify that the contents reflect the views and policies of BOEM, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. REPORT AVAILABILITY To download a PDF file of this Gulf of Mexico OCS Region report, go to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program Information System website and search on OCS Study BOEM 2015-027. This report can be viewed at select Federal Depository Libraries. It can also be obtained from the National Technical Information Service; the contact information is below. U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service 5301 Shawnee Rd. Springfield, Virginia 22312 Phone: (703) 605-6000, 1(800)553-6847 Fax: (703) 605-6900 Website: http://www.ntis.gov/ CITATION Johnston, M.A., M.F. Nuttall, R.J. Eckert, J.A. Embesi, N.C. Slowey, E.L. Hickerson, and G.P. Schmahl. 2015. Long-term monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 2011–2012, volume 1: technical report. U.S. Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, New Orleans, Louisiana. OCS Study BOEM 2015-027. 194 p. ABOUT THE COVER The cover photograph features NOAA Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary diver Ryan Eckert capturing a benthic scene in the East Flower Garden Bank. He is using a camera mounted on an aluminmum T-frame on a random transect line. Photograph by G.P. Schmahl (NOAA FGBNMS). iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the individuals, listed below, who contributed their time and expertise to make this long-term monitoring effort successful. We are grateful to the NOAA and BOEM staff for their invaluable institutional knowledge. In particular, we acknowledge James Sinclair, Michelle Nannen, Greg Boland, and Matthew Johnson for their support and dedication to this project. NOAA FGBNMS PERSONNEL AND ROLE Michelle A. Johnston, Ph.D. Project Manager, Data Acquisition, Analysis, and Report Compilation Marissa Nuttall Cruise Logistics, Data Acquisition and Analysis Ryan Eckert Technical Support, Data Acquisition and Analysis John Embesi Field Management, Data Acquisition and Analysis Emma L. Hickerson Sanctuary Research Coordinator, Data Acquisition G.P. Schmahl Sanctuary Superintendent, Data Acquisition PROJECT DIVERS 2011–2012 Lindy Arbuckle Michelle Johnston G.P. Schmahl Ryan Eckert Doug Jones James Sinclair John Embesi Kaitlin McGraw Scott Sorsett Steve Gittings Marissa Nuttall Charles Vance Emma Hickerson Randy Rudd REPORT CONTRIBUTERS AND REVIEWERS Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary staff would like to acknowledge the support and efforts of subject area experts who assisted with this technical report. The report benefited significantly from the following individuals who either provided a peer review or provided comments, content, images, and data: Matthew Johnson (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management), James Sinclair (Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement), Gregory Boland (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management), Steve Gittings (NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries), George Sedberry (NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Southeast Region), William Kiene (NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Southeast Region), Niall Slowey (Texas A&M University), and Eleanor Yudelman (Texas A&M University). v CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................ xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................ xi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... xxiii CHAPTER 1.0: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 1.1. Coral Reef Monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks ....................................... 1 1.2. Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico ........................ 4 1.2.1. Habitat Description............................................................................................... 4 1.2.2. East and West Flower Garden Banks ................................................................... 5 1.3. BOEM and FGBNMS Protective Measures ...................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2.0: Study Sites........................................................................................................ 11 2.1. Study Site Methods.......................................................................................................... 11 2.1.1. 10,000 m2 Study Sites ........................................................................................ 11 2.1.2. Repetitive Deep Stations .................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 3.0: Random Transects ........................................................................................... 19 3.1. Random Transect Methodological Rationale ................................................................... 19 3.2. Random Transect Methods .............................................................................................. 19 3.2.1. Random Transect Field Methods ....................................................................... 19 3.2.2. Random Transect Data Processing..................................................................... 20 3.2.3. Random Transect Statistical Analyses ............................................................... 21 3.3. Random Transect Results ................................................................................................ 22 3.3.1. Random Transect Univariate Analysis............................................................... 28 3.3.2. Random Transect Multivariate Analysis ............................................................ 29 3.3.3. Historical Comparison of Random Transect Benthic Cover .............................. 30 3.4. Random Transect Discussion........................................................................................... 35 3.4.1. Historical Comparison of Random Transect Benthic Cover .............................. 37 CHAPTER 4.0: Repetitive Quadrats......................................................................................... 41 4.1. Repetitive Quadrat Methodological Rationale ................................................................. 41 4.2. Repetitive Quadrat Methods ............................................................................................ 41 4.2.1. Repetitive Quadrat Field Methods ..................................................................... 41 4.2.2. Repetitive Quadrat Data Processing................................................................... 42 4.2.3. Repetitive Quadrat Statistical Analyses ............................................................. 43 4.3. Repetitive Quadrat Results .............................................................................................. 44 4.3.1. Repetitive Quadrat Analysis............................................................................... 44 4.3.2. Repetitive Deep Station Percent Cover.............................................................. 56 4.3.3. Repetitive Quadrat Planimetric Analysis ........................................................... 67 vii 4.4. Repetitive Quadrat Discussion......................................................................................... 70 4.4.1. Study Site Repetitive Quadrats........................................................................... 70 4.4.2. Repetitive Deep Stations .................................................................................... 72 4.4.3. Planimetry .......................................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER 5.0: Lateral Growth ................................................................................................ 75 5.1. Lateral Growth Methodological Rationale
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