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Fao/Government Cooperative Programme Scientific Basis FI:GCP/RLA/140/JPN TECHNICAL DOCUMENT No. 4 FAO/GOVERNMENT COOPERATIVE PROGRAMME SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT IN THE LESSER ANTILLES INCLUDING INTERACTIONS WITH MARINE MAMMALS AND OTHER TOP PREDATORS CRUISE REPORT FOR THE LAPE ECOSYSTEM SURVEY ON RV CELTIC EXPLORER (CE0607) FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Barbados, 2006 FI:GCP/RLA/140/JPN TECHNICAL DOCUMENT No. 4 FAO/GOVERNMENT COOPERATIVE PROGRAMME SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT IN THE LESSER ANTILLES INCLUDING INTERACTIONS WITH MARINE MAMMALS AND OTHER TOP PREDATORS CRUISE REPORT FOR THE LAPE ECOSYSTEM SURVEY ON RV CELTIC EXPLORER (CE0607) Lesser Antilles Pelagic Ecosystem Project (GCP/RLA/140/JPN) Bridgetown, Barbados FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Barbados, 2006 This technical report is one of a series of reports prepared during the course of the project identified on the title page. The conclusions and recommendations given in the report are those considered appropriate at the time of its preparation. They may be modified in the light of further knowledge gained at subsequent stages of the project. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected] © FAO 2006 ABSTRACT Scientific Basis For Ecosystem-Based Management In The Lesser Antilles Including Interactions With Marine Mammals And Other Top Predators: Cruise Report For The LAPE Ecosystem Survey On RV Celtic Explorer (CE0607), based on the work of Paul Fanning, FAO, Barbados, 2006. viii + 55 pp. FI:GCP/RLA/140/JPN. Technical Document No. 4 The LAPE project has completed an ecosystem survey using the research vessel R/V Celtic Explorer, operated from Galway, Ireland by the Marine Institute. The survey collected information on the abundance, biomass and distribution information for pelagic forage species, as well as sampling for trophic relationships and physical and biological environmental sampling. This includes samples from numerous species rarely or never observed when sampling from fisheries catches. Acoustic biomass estimates have not been completed however the greatest biomass of forage species detected, both acoustically and by trawling, is predominantly mesopelagic fish, squids and crustaceans. The catches of epipelagic species were mostly juveniles of oceanic pelagic, coastal pelagic and reef species. This survey did not target, and did not catch, the commercially important pelagic species of the region. Flyingfish (Exocetidae) and dolphin (Coryphaena hippurus) are known to occur only within a few meters of the surface, above both the acoustic transducers and the minimum fishing depth of the trawls. In addition, these and the adults of the other large pelagic species (Istiophoridae, Scombridae, Xiphiidae) are too fast and agile to be easily caught using pelagic trawls. The ecosystem survey also provided in-situ measures of biological oceanographic parameters to calibrate satellite estimates of primary productivity as well as information on key physical parameters of the water masses in the region. Preliminary inspection of the cruise results are all largely consistent with expected conditions in oligotrophic tropical oceanic waters (Longhurst, 1999). The primary production is limited to deep chlorophyll layers with essentially no chlorophyll or fluorescence measurable in near-surface waters. A cetacean sighting survey was conducted during daylight along the same transects. Although previous surveys have shown that the region does not have high concentrations of cetaceans the cetacean results are still surprisingly low. Since data are too few for a statistical analysis, a careful review of the cetacean survey is required to understand these extremely low results. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The LAPE project and the FAO acknowledge the very significant financial contribution made by the Marine Institute towards providing their excellent research vessel, the R/V Celtic Explorer, to conduct this survey. The ship's officers and crews on both legs of the survey provided expertise and professionalism of the highest order. Their contributions made the work safe, efficient and effective while providing a friendly and comfortable environment for all. It was a pleasure working with them. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................... VII LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................VIII INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 Objectives ...............................................................................................................1 Participants.............................................................................................................3 Cruise Dates ...........................................................................................................3 MATERIALS AND METHODS ...............................................................................3 Survey Design and Cruise Track ........................................................................3 Survey Design ...................................................................................................3 Survey Effort Allocation..................................................................................4 Acoustics.................................................................................................................7 Acoustic Data Acquisition:..............................................................................7 Acoustic Data Scrutinising:.............................................................................8 Acoustic Calibration.......................................................................................11 Trawling and Biological Sampling ...................................................................12 Catch Sorting and Recording........................................................................14 Oceanographic Sampling...................................................................................16 Rosette Sampler ..............................................................................................16 Phytoplankton Sampling...............................................................................16 Underway Information..................................................................................17 Processing........................................................................................................17 Primary Production........................................................................................17 Sighting Survey ...................................................................................................19 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................20 Acoustics...............................................................................................................20 Data analysis ...................................................................................................22 Abundance and biomass estimates ..................................................................24 Trawling and Biological Sampling ...................................................................25 Oceanographic Sampling...................................................................................33 Water Column Structure ...............................................................................33 Phytoplankton.................................................................................................36 Primary Production........................................................................................47 Sighting Survey ...................................................................................................47 OUTSTANDING ANALYSES................................................................................49 v Acoustics and Trawling..................................................................................... 49 Acoustic Biomass Estimation ....................................................................... 49 Species Atlas ................................................................................................... 49 Biological Sampling............................................................................................ 49 Stomach Content Analysis...........................................................................
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