Assessing Potential Resource Utilization by Gray Whales in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Waters

Paul Jones and Allan Ota U.S. EPA Region 9

Beyond the Golden Gate Research Symposium || Nov 1, 2011 || San Francisco, CA Introduction & Context • Observations of gray whales feeding in Linda Mar off Pacifica triggered interest in sediment chemistry and benthic community – Sediment chemistry – identify any legacy contamination and other sources – Benthic community composition – identify what gray whales are consuming • Supplemental information to ongoing San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site monitoring • Surveys in August and September 2009

Methods

• Sampled bottom sediment using van Veen grab sampler from M/V Superfish (Captain Mick Menigoz) – 6 August 2009 – 21 September 2009 • Collected samples from 10 stations off Pacifica and 4 stations at Southeast Farallon Island • Sediment chemistry and macroinvertebrate taxonomy analyses performed per standard EPA methods Sediment Sampling Locations

Offshore Pacifica Stations Sediment Sampling Locations

Representative of sites; actual locations were adjusted to bottom conditions

Southeast Farallon Islands Stations Gray whale surfacing next to our boat while sediment sampling is underway at SE Farallon Island

6 August 2009 Sediment Sampling Operations

Physical & Chemical Van Veen Sampler Deployment of Sampler Properties

Benthic Community Screens for Sieving Sieving Process – Sample - Unsieved Capture Specimens Sediment Chemistry

• Coarse grained sediments in general study area – Small proportion of fine-grain sediments in Pacifica – Shell hash in samples collected near SE Farallon Island • Low to non-detect levels of most of the measured contaminants • Minimal, if any, toxicity potential in these sediments is indicated by measured conc’s • No constituents exceed lowest NOAA screening levels (ER-L) for toxicity potential

Sediment Chemistry

NOAA Screening Analyte Station Values P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- SE2009- SE2009- SE2009- Metals (ppm) * 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 07 15 17 ER-L ER-M Mercury 0.024 0.018 0.023 0.024 0.017 0.019 0.018 0.019 0.02 0.05 ND ND ND 0.15 0.71 Arsenic 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.8 4.2 5.1 5.6 2.7 3.1 2.8 8.2 70 Cadmium ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 1.2 9.6 Chromium 46 47 45 45 38 45 44 28 36 49 1.8 5 3.8 81 370 Copper 14 8.3 6.7 6.8 5.1 6 6 5 6.3 8.2 ND ND ND 34 270 Lead 2.6 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.6 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.8 3.4 13 14 14 46.7 218 Nickel 31 33 33 33 28 30 29 28 24 36 ND ND ND 20.9 51.6 Zinc 28 30 29 30 28 30 29 30 33 38 ND ND 6.6 150 410

Percent Solids 79 78 79 78 80 78 80 76 78 79 70 65 74

• No metal concentrations exceeding the lowest NOAA screening values (ER-L) except for nickel which is naturally elevated

NOTE: No potential sediment toxicity is expected below ER-Ls Sediment Chemistry

Gulf of the Farallones Sediment Sampling -Organics * NOAA Screening Analyte Station Values PAHs (ppb) P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- P2009- SE2009- SE2009- SE2009- 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 07 15 17 ER-L ER-M Naphthalene 2 2 2.1 2.7 2.5 2.9 3 4.6 5 1.4 ND ND ND 160 2100 2-Methylnaphthalene 2.2 1.9 2.3 3.1 2.8 3.5 3.2 8.3 4.7 1.3 ND ND ND NA NA 1-Methylnaphthalene ND ND ND 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.1 3.3 1.6 ND ND ND ND NA NA Acenaphthylene ND 1.2 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 44 640 Acenaphthene ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 16 500 Fluorene 1.3 2 1.5 2.1 1.8 2.6 2.2 2.2 3.5 1.7 ND ND ND 19 540 Phenanthene 4.3 22 5 7.6 5.7 8.8 7.1 6.3 12 12 ND ND ND 240 1500 Anthracene ND 3.9 ND ND ND ND ND ND 1.2 3.4 ND ND ND 85.3 1100 Fluoranthene 2.4 32 2.2 7.7 1.9 4.2 2.6 3.6 5.6 17 ND ND ND 600 5100 Pyrene 2.2 34 2.2 7.8 1.6 3.7 2.3 3.6 5.1 18 ND ND ND 665 2600 Benzo(a)anthracene ND 12 ND 2.1 ND 1.4 ND ND 1.5 7.1 ND ND ND 261 1600 Chrysene 1.5 12 1.3 2.7 1.4 2.4 1.8 1.7 3.2 6.7 ND ND ND 384 2800 Benzo(b)fluoranthene 1.8 13 1.4 4 1.4 3 1.8 2.2 3.4 7.5 ND ND ND NA NA Benzo(k)fluoranthene ND 3.4 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 2.2 ND ND ND NA NA Benzo(a)pyrene ND 17 ND 5.3 ND ND ND ND ND 10 ND ND ND 430 1600 Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene ND 7.4 ND 2.1 ND ND ND ND ND 3.1 ND ND ND NA NA Dibenz(a,h)anthracene ND 1.6 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 63.4 260 Benzo(g,h,i)perylene ND 6.7 ND 2.1 ND ND ND ND ND 2.5 ND ND ND NA NA

* Pesticides and PCBs were not detected NOTE: No potential sediment toxicity is expected below ER-Ls Benthic Community Data*

PACIFICA - COASTAL TOP 25 SPECIES SOUTHEAST FARALLON ISLANDS SEGMENT

STATION SE2009 SE2009 SE2009 SE2009 STATION P2009 P2009 P2009 P2009 P2009 P2009 P2009 P2009 P2009 P2009 REP 03 07 15 17 REP 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10A CLASS GENUS/SPECIES TOTAL # CLASS GENUS/SPECIES TOTAL # C Stenothoe valida 120 57 177 P Spiophanes bombyx 122 6 88 161 43 355 63 268 33 1139 P Syllidae sp 28 11 91 130 C Diastylopsis dawsoni 35 40 61 36 53 85 99 23 15 213 660 Hesionura coineaui P difficilis 27 20 60 107 C Photis macinerneyi 13 4 9 198 13 30 8 31 306 P Spio filicornis 3 101 104 MI Eutonia indicans 10 7 17 2 33 13 73 34 14 203 MI Nematoda 30 19 44 93 P Magelona sacculata 15 14 39 29 5 10 15 13 19 16 175 MO Glycymeris septentrionalis 78 9 87 P Glycinde picta 20 1 4 18 9 17 11 6 2 2 90 C Orchomene minutus 66 20 86 P Prionospio sp juv 8 3 13 9 2 24 6 7 17 89 C Melita rylovae 72 3 1 76 P Scoletoma luti 27 1 16 2 17 4 6 8 1 82 MO Halistylus pupoideus 1 22 42 65 P Nephtys caecoides 6 3 16 13 11 6 3 6 5 69 C Micropleustes nautilus 53 4 2 59 C Pacifoculodes spinipes 6 1 5 8 8 5 14 6 10 63 P Pisione hermansi 25 11 10 46 MO Olivellidae juv 2 2 1 2 43 50 Alienacanthomysis C Dissiminassa dissimilis 17 29 46 C macropsis 4 13 3 15 4 7 46 Macrophthalmus P sczelkowii 17 23 2 42 C Rhepoxynius variatus 5 9 15 11 5 45 P Terebellidae juv 28 11 39 MO Mactridae juv 6 4 3 31 44 P Micropodarke dubia 2 27 8 37 C Mysidacea sp. 1 4 6 31 2 44 C Melita sp. 32 32 C Rhepoxynius vigitegus 1 31 10 42 C Copepoda - Calanoida 29 29 P Scoloplos armiger 11 11 1 14 1 38 P Spiophanes bombyx 2 24 26 P Chaetozone sp 4 1 8 3 5 4 7 2 3 37 P Syllidae sp 2 26 26 P Lumbrineridae 8 8 4 2 5 8 35 P Aoroides sp 17 8 25 MO Callianax pycna** 1 4 3 5 18 31 P Cirratulidae juv 3 1 19 23 MO Siliqua sp juv 2 1 1 3 3 1 15 1 3 30 C Atylus tridens 15 8 23 MO Mytilus sp juv 28 28 P Amphinomidae 20 2 22 MO Tellina modesta 4 1 5 5 8 23 P Oligochaeta 4 12 6 22 P Magelona sp juv 1 6 5 10 22 P Polychaeta sp 2 22 22 C Decapoda - zoea 17 4 21

MI = P = POLYCHAETA MISCELLANEOUS M = MOLLUSCA C = CRUSTACEA

* Distinct benthic community assemblages between SEFI and Pacifica stations SEFI samples: Stenothoe valida and Melita rylovae are listed invasive species Other Observations

• Spring 2009 was first time gray whales were seen feeding off Pacifica – 6 weeks of daily feeding observed by the same three individuals • Pacifica sediment was dominated by polychaetes, cumaceans and bivalves – Similar to polychaete distribution reported by Kellogg (2005, Southwest Ocean Outfall Regional Monitoring Program) – Also similar organisms to those found offshore in other studies Kodiak, Alaska (Witteveen & Wynne 2008) • SEFI sediment was dominated by amphipod and polychaete species – Mysid shrimp swarms above the seabed were seen at SEFI on video camera – no mysids were captured in sediment samples collected – Feeding by gray whales may similar to those reported by Stelle, Megill & Kinzell 2008 in Queen Charlotte Strait area

Conclusions

• Sediment chemistry was relatively free of legacy contaminants in these higher energy shelf locations – Contaminants transported farther offshore (lower energy environments - slope depths and deeper) • Sediments are course-grained (shell hash) at SEFI and it appears as if gray whales are feeding on swarms of mysid shrimp at this seasonal resident feeding site • Benthic community composition off Pacifica is dominated by polychaetes, cumaceans, and bivalves – gray whales were feeding there on similar organisms as those reported in other seasonal feeding areas, but may have been opportunistic Thank you

Paul Jones, 415-972-3470, [email protected] Allan Ota, 415-972-3476, [email protected]