Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Human Activities at the Sgaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area

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Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Human Activities at the Sgaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Research Document 2018/012 Pacific Region Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Human Activities at the SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area Emily Rubidge1 Kate Thornborough Miriam O1 Fisheries and Oceans Canada Institute of Ocean Sciences P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2 March 2018 Foreword This series documents the scientific basis for the evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems in Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of the day in the time frames required and the documents it contains are not intended as definitive statements on the subjects addressed but rather as progress reports on ongoing investigations. Research documents are produced in the official language in which they are provided to the Secretariat. Published by: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat 200 Kent Street Ottawa ON K1A 0E6 http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/ [email protected] © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2018 ISSN 1919-5044 Correct citation for this publication: Rubidge, E., Thornborough, K., O, M. 2018. Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Human Activities on the SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2018/012. viii + 98 p. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... vii RÉSUMÉ ................................................................................................................................. viii 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................1 1.1 SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area ................................................... 1 1.1.1 Productivity at the SK-B MPA ......................................................................................3 2. METHODS .............................................................................................................................3 2.1 Scoping ................................................................................................................................4 2.1.1 Identification of Significant Ecosystem Components ...................................................4 2.1.2 Identification of Activities and Associated Stressors Using Pathways of Effects Models ............................................................................................................................5 2.2 Level 2 Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment ........................................................................ 6 2.2.1 SEC-Stressor Matrix ...................................................................................................6 2.2.2 Computation of Risk ....................................................................................................7 3. RESULTS .............................................................................................................................11 3.1 Scoping Phase ................................................................................................................... 11 3.1.1 Identification of Significant Ecosystem Components ................................................. 11 3.1.2 Activities and Stressors occurring in the SK-B MPA .................................................. 16 3.2 Level 2 Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment ...................................................................... 24 3.2.1 SEC-Stressor Interaction Matrix ................................................................................24 3.2.2 Computation of Risk ..................................................................................................24 4. DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................................38 4.1 Outcome of the Application of the Level 2 Risk Assessment Framework............................ 39 4.2 Challenges, Limitations, and Future Work .......................................................................... 41 4.2.1 The Challenges of the Level 2 Semi-Quantitative Method ......................................... 41 4.2.2 Interpretation of Uncertainty Incorporation ................................................................42 4.2.3 Cumulative Impacts by SEC (CRiskC) .......................................................................42 4.2.4 Relative Risk to the Ecosystem Structure and Function ............................................ 42 4.2.5 Scoring community properties and recovery factors .................................................. 43 4.2.6 Long-Range Impacts ................................................................................................. 44 4.2.7 Indicators ..................................................................................................................44 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................... 44 6. REFERENCES CITED ......................................................................................................... 46 7. GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS ............................................................................................ 50 8. APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................53 APPENDIX A. SK-B LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES .............................................................. 53 A.2. Important physical habitats at the SK-B MPA: Habitat classification and considerations for monitoring design ............................................................................................................... 54 APPENDIX B. CONSIDERATIONS FOR SELECTION OF SPECIES, HABITAT AND COMMUNITY/ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES SECS .............................................................. 55 APPENDIX C. RECOVERY SCORING TABLES ...................................................................... 58 APPENDIX D. PATHWAYS OF EFFECTS MODELS ................................................................ 60 APPENDIX E. R CODE USED TO CALCULATE RISK AND INCORPORATE UNCERTAINTY 61 APPENDIX F. SPECIES LISTS ................................................................................................ 62 APPENDIX G. SEC-STRESSOR MATRIX ................................................................................ 63 APPENDIX H. EXPOSURE, RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY SCORES FOR ALL SECS (SPECIES, HABITAT AND COMMUNITY/ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES) ............................ 64 iv H.1. Isidella tentaculum and White Primnoa Species SECs: Exposure, Consequence and Recovery Scores ................................................................................................................ 64 H.2. Squat Lobster SEC: Exposure, Consequence, and Recovery Scores ................................ 67 H.3. Prowfish SEC: Exposure, Consequence, and Recovery Scores ........................................ 69 H.4. Pacific Halibut SEC: Exposure, Consequence, and Recovery Scores ............................... 71 H.5. Sablefish SEC: Exposure, Consequence, and Recovery Scores ....................................... 72 H.6. Rockfish SECs: Exposure, Consequence, and Recovery Scores ...................................... 74 H.6.1. Slope species: Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex, Sebastes aleutianus/S. melanostictus .......................................................................................................................74 H.6.2. Inshore species: Yelloweye Rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus ........................................... 76 H.6.3. Shelf species: Widow Rockfish, Sebastes entomelas ..................................................... 77 H.6.4. Shelf species: Boccacio Rockfish, Sebastes paucipinus ................................................. 78 H.7. Crustose Corraline Algae and Macroalgae Habitat SECs: Exposure, Consequence, and Recovery Scores ................................................................................................................ 79 H.8. Corals and Sponges Habitat SECs: Exposure, Consequence, and Recovery Scores ........ 82 APPENDIX I. MEDIAN RISK SCORES AND ASSOCIATED ERROR FOR EACH SEC ............ 86 I.1. Bocaccio Rockfish: Median Risk Score results and associated 10% and 90% quantiles, ranked by risk score plus mean exposure and consequence scores .................................. 86 I.2. Rougheye Rockfish: Median Risk Score results and associated 10% and 90% quantiles, ranked by risk score plus mean exposure and consequence scores .................................. 87 I.3. Widow Rockfish: Median Risk Score results and associated 10% and 90% quantiles, ranked by risk score plus mean exposure and consequence scores .................................. 87 I.4. Yelloweye Rockfish: Median Risk Score results and associated 10% and 90% quantiles, ranked by risk score plus mean exposure and consequence scores .................................. 88 I.5. Sablefish: Median Risk Score results and associated 10% and 90% quantiles, ranked by risk score plus mean exposure and consequence scores ................................................... 88 I.6. Pacific Halibut: Median Risk Score results and associated 10% and 90% quantiles, ranked by risk score plus mean exposure and consequence
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