Seasonal Fish and Invertebrate Communities in Three Northern
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SEASONAL FISH AND INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN THREE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ESTUARIES By Katherine Osborn A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Humboldt State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Natural Resources: Fisheries Committee Membership Dr. Timothy Mulligan, Committee Chair Dr. Andre Buchheister, Committee Member Dr. Darren Ward, Committee Member Dr. Frank Shaughnessy, Committee Member Dr. Alison O’Dowd, Graduate Coordinator December 2017 ABSTRACT SEASONAL FISH AND INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN THREE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ESTUARIES Katherine Osborn The majority of Northern California estuaries are small, flooded, river valleys that are largely unstudied due to their small sizes and remote locations. Yet these estuaries serve as important nursery areas for many marine fish species including rockfish, flatfish, smelt, and herring, and they are vital to anadromous species such as Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Steelhead (O. mykiss). I sampled the summer and winter fish and invertebrate communities of the Big, Mad, and Ten Mile river estuaries. Fish were sampled via beach seine or fyke net and invertebrates were sampled via benthic cores, June 2014-June 2016. This research is part of a larger suite of studies establishing baseline conditions in Northern California Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Big and Ten Mile river estuaries in Mendocino County were designated as MPAs in 2012. The Mad River Estuary in Humboldt County was selected as a non-MPA site to investigate its potential as a reference estuary. In the Mad River Estuary, additional sampling was conducted and a diet study was carried out on the feeding habits of two benthic fishes: Pacific Staghorn Sculpin (Leptocottus armatus) and English Sole (Parophrys vetulus). ii Fish abundance and diversity varied more by season (i.e. summer, winter) than by estuary, while invertebrate diversity varied more by estuary than by season. The Big River Estuary had the strongest ocean connection and the most marine fish and invertebrate species. The Mad River Estuary fish and invertebrate communities were most similar to the Ten Mile River Estuary, which had the least ocean connectivity and species diversity. Additional sampling in the Mad River Estuary showed that fish and invertebrate communities were diverse from spring through fall, and that invertebrate communities within an estuary differed more by upstream distance than by season. Staghorn Sculpin diet in the Mad River Estuary varied by location of capture, but not by season. iii ACKNOWEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my family and friends for their unwavering support during my graduate work. This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance of my advisor, Tim Mulligan, who provided me with this rewarding research project. Frank Shaughnessy was lead P.I. for the project and a committee member. I would like to thank my other committee members, Darren Ward and Andre Buchheister, for their assistance and guidance. This research depended on volunteer contributions in the field and the lab, especially by Kaitlyn O’Brien, Eric LeBlanc, Chad Martel, Leon Davis III, Georgia Bennett, and Ian Kelmartin. This project was funded by the California Ocean Science Trust and the California Ocean Protection Council (HSU Project #: SO3017), which were both part of the North Coast MPA Management team. The team also included the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and California Sea Grant. Finally, I would like to thank the Fisheries Founding Faculty, Malcolm Oliphant, and the Granite Bay Flycasters for the scholarships they generously provide that allowed me to successfully complete my thesis. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF APPENDICES .................................................................................................. xiii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 Study Sites ...................................................................................................................... 6 Big River Estuary ........................................................................................................ 6 Mad River Estuary ..................................................................................................... 10 Ten Mile River Estuary ............................................................................................. 14 MATERIALS AND METHODS ...................................................................................... 18 Field Collection ............................................................................................................. 18 Sample Processing ........................................................................................................ 22 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 23 Physical and Environmental Data.............................................................................. 23 Fish Catch Data ......................................................................................................... 24 Benthic Invertebrate Data .......................................................................................... 29 Diet Data .................................................................................................................... 32 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 34 Biannual Fish Sampling ................................................................................................ 34 v Mad River Fish Sampling ............................................................................................. 53 Biannual Benthic Invertebrate Data .............................................................................. 72 Mad River Benthic Invertebrate Data ........................................................................... 80 Mad River Diet Study ................................................................................................... 88 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 98 Biannual Sampling ........................................................................................................ 98 Baseline Seasonal Communities ................................................................................ 98 Variation in Fish and Invertebrate Communities .................................................... 101 The Mad River Estuary as a Reference Site ............................................................ 105 Mad River Estuary Sampling ...................................................................................... 109 Baseline in the Mad River Estuary .......................................................................... 109 Variation in Fish and Invertebrate Communities .................................................... 111 Staghorn Sculpin and English Sole Diet .................................................................. 115 Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 118 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................. 121 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 122 Appendix A ..................................................................................................................... 127 Appendix B ..................................................................................................................... 128 Appendix C ..................................................................................................................... 129 Appendix D ..................................................................................................................... 130 Appendix E ..................................................................................................................... 131 Appendix F...................................................................................................................... 132 Appendix G ..................................................................................................................... 134 vi Appendix H ..................................................................................................................... 135 Appendix I ...................................................................................................................... 137 Appendix J ...................................................................................................................... 139 Appendix K ....................................................................................................................