An Investigation of Survey Technologies and Modeling Techniques for Improving Deepwater Surveys of Nonindigenous Species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
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An investigation of survey technologies and modeling techniques for improving deepwater surveys of nonindigenous species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Item Type monograph Authors Menza, Charles; Monaco, Mark Publisher NOAA/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Download date 26/09/2021 17:14:08 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/30740 An Investigation of Survey Technologies and Modeling Techniques for Improving Deepwater Surveys of Nonindigenous Species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands March 2009 An investigation by the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s Biogeography Branch for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument NOAA Technical Memorandum NCCOS 95 Citation for this Report Menza, C. and M. Monaco. 2009. An Investigation of Survey Technologies and Modeling Techniques for Improving Deepwater Surveys of Nonindigenous Species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 95. Silver Spring, MD. 25 pp Acknowledgements The completion of this document would not have been possible without the participation of many people. Their efforts are very much appreciated. The authors would like to thank: Randy Kosaki, Aulani Wilhelm, Malia Chow, and Kaylene Keller for fostering this project; Zach Hecht-Leavitt, John Rooney, Scott Ferguson, Joyce Miller, Alisha Bare, Lisa Baldwin, Emily Donham, and the crew of the Hi’ialakai for assitance with data collection; and Paula Whitfield, Chris Caldow and Simon Pittman for offering heplful comments for the document. For more information For more information about this report, please contact Charles Menza at CCMA’s Biogeography Branch. (301) 713-3028, [email protected] or visit http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/about/biogeography/. Cover photo by David Burdick of Lutjanus kasmira, a nonindigenous fish species in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Photo downloaded from the NOAA Photo library (http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/) Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for their use by the United States government. An Investigation of Survey Technologies and Modeling Techniques for Improving Deepwater Surveys of Nonindigenous Species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Charles Menza Mark Monaco Biogeography Branch Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) National Ocean Service (NOS) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 1305 East West Highway (SSMC-IV, N/SCI-1) Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 95 March 2009 United States Department of National Oceanic and National Ocean Service Commerce Atmospheric Administration Gary F. Locke Jane Lubchenco, PhD John H. Dunnigan Secretary Administrator Assistant Administrator SUMMARY Nonindigenous species (NIS) are a major threat to marine ecosystems, with possible dramatic effects on biodiversity, biological productivity, habitat structure and fisheries. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) has taken active steps to mitigate the threats of NIS in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Of particular concern are the 13 NIS already detected in NWHI and two invasive species found among the main Hawaiian Islands, snowflake coral (Carijoa riseii) and a red alga (Hypnea musciformis). Much of the information regarding NIS in NWHI has been collected or informed by surveys using conventional SCUBA or fishing gear. These technologies have significant drawbacks. SCUBA is generally constrained to depths shallower than 40 m and several NIS of concern have been detected well below this limit (e.g., L. kasmira – 256 m) and fishing gear is highly selective. Consequently, not all habitats or species can be properly represented. Effective management of NIS requires knowledge of their spatial distribution and abundance over their entire range. Surveys which provide this requisite information can be expensive, especially in the marine environment and even more so in deepwater. Technologies which minimize costs, increase the probability of detection and are capable of satisfying multiple objectives simultaneously are desired. This report examines survey technologies, with a focus on towed camera systems (TCSs), and modeling techniques which can increase NIS detection and sampling efficiency in deepwater habitats of NWHI; thus filling a critical data gap in present datasets. A pilot study conducted in 2008 at French Frigate Shoals and Brooks Banks was used to investigate the application of TCSs for surveying NIS in habitats deeper than 40 m. Cost and data quality were assessed. Over 100 hours of video was collected, in which 124 sightings of NIS were made among benthic habitats from 20 to 250 m. Most sightings were of a single cosmopolitan species, Lutjanus kasmira, but Cephalopholis argus, and Lutjanus fulvus, were also detected. The data expand the spatial distributions of observed NIS into deepwater habitats, identify algal plain as an important habitat and complement existing data collected using SCUBA and fishing gear. The technology’s principal drawback was its inability to identify organisms of particular concern, such as Carijoa riseii and Hypnea musciformis due to inadequate camera resolution and inability to thoroughly inspect sites. To solve this issue we recommend incorporating high-resolution cameras into TCSs, or using alternative technologies, such as technical SCUBA diving or remotely operated vehicles, in place of TCSs. We compared several different survey technologies by cost and their ability to detect NIS and these results are summarized in Table 3. Data collected during the pilot study was used to investigate spatial predictions. Since limited resources must be focused in habitats were NIS are most likely to establish, spatial predictions can be used to develop maps of where NIS are likely to be found and provide a tool to help effectively allocate resources (e.g., assign monitoring sites, target possible locations for NIS eradication). The spatial distribution of L. kasmira was predicted in deepwater habitats of French Frigate Shoals using boosted regression trees. Although the example is limited to a single species and in spatial scope, the methods are applicable to other species and in other areas. Taken together the recommendations for survey technologies and modeling procedures provide a toolset managers can use to efficiently gather NIS data in NWHI. ACRONYMS AUV Autonomous Underwater Vehicle BASS Benthic Assessment Sensor System BB Biogeography Branch CRED Coral Reef Ecosystem Division FFS French Frigate Shoals NIS Nonindigenous species NOWRAMP Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program NWHI Northwestern Hawaiian Islands PIFSC Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center PMNM Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument ROV Remotely Operated Vehicle SCUBA Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus TCS Towed Camera System TOAD Towed Optical Assessment Device INTRODUCTION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The goal of this report is to provide the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) information necessary to make informed decisions on how to gather data collected for the purpose of detecting and monitoring nonindigenous species (NIS) in deepwater benthic habitats (>40 m). This information is necessary to support the PMNM management plan and develop a methodology for effective data acquisition in an environment renowned for high operational costs. To satisfy this goal we (1) conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of using towed camera systems (TCSs) for surveying NIS in deepwater, (2) assessed the use of alternative survey technologies, (3) evaluated spatial modeling capabilities using available environemtal datasets and data gathered during our pilot study, and (4) used deepwater data to increase our understanding of species–habitat affinities. OVERVIEW PMNM was created to protect the ecosystems of NWHI, which are relatively pristine with few nonindigenous or invasive marine species. Of the 343 NIS found in the marine environment of the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI), only 13 have been detected in NWHI (Table 1; Eldredge and Carlton 2002; Eldredge 2005; Godwin et al. 2006). This difference is likely due to NWHI’s extreme remoteness, relatively low rates of visitation and concerted management efforts. Nonetheless, due to their proximity, the threat of non-indigenous species spreading from the Main Hawaiian Islands to the NWHI and becoming invasive is a serious concern. Table 1 : NIS of concern in the NWHI Scientific Name Common Name Status Fish Cephalopholis argus Roi or Peacock grouper Established Lutjanus fulvus To’au or Blacktail snapper Established Lutjanus kasmira Ta’ape or Blueline snapper Established Invertebrates Pennaria distachia Christmas tree hydroid Established Balanus reticulates Barnacle Established Carijoa riisei Snowflake coral Not detected Diadumene lineata Orange-striped sea anemone Unknown, detected Amathia distans Bushy bryozoan Established Schizoporella errata Branching bryozoan Established Balanus venustus Barnacle Likely not established Chthamalus proteus Carribean barnacle Established Polycarpa aurita Styelidae, solitary tunicate Likely established Cnemidocarpa irene Styelidae, solitary tunicate Likely established Algae Hypnea musciformis Red algae Unknown, detected Acanthophora spicifera Red algae Not detected 1 Most NIS currently found in NWHI are in few locations and in low abundances. There is debate as to whether some are invasive (i.e. cause ecological or