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Draft 2015 Nearshore Strategy Table of Contents Oregon Nearshore Strategy - Public Review Draft June 19, 2015 Draft 2015 Nearshore Strategy Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 2 Chapter 2: Nearshore Strategy Context 7 Chapter 3: Strategy Development 19 Chapter 4: Coastal Communities 28 Chapter 5: Species 47 Chapter 6: Nearshore Habitats 77 Chapter 7: Factors Affecting Species and Habitats 122 Chapter 8: Research and Monitoring Needs 137 Chapter 9: Recommendations 141 Chapter 10: Conclusions 156 References 158 Appendices 166 Appendix A: Watch List Species Habitat Associations 167 Appendix B: Commonly Associated Species List 172 Appendix C: Invasive Species List 182 1 Oregon Nearshore Strategy - Public Review Draft June 19, 2015 1. INTRODUCTION Nearshore Ocean Resources Oregon’s nearshore fish and wildlife support recreational pursuits, businesses, commerce, and ecosystem services. Their natural bounty and beauty are part of what makes Oregon a great place to live, work, and play. The Nearshore Strategy uses the concept of sustainability as defined in Oregon law: “Sustainability means using, developing and protecting resources in a manner that enables people to meet current needs and provides that future generations can also meet future needs, from the joint perspective of environmental, economic and community objectives.” (ORS 184.421(4)) For the purposes of this document, “nearshore” is defined as the area from the outer boundary of Oregon’s Territorial Sea at 3 nautical miles to the supratidal zone affected by wave spray and overwash at extreme high tides on our ocean shoreline, and up into the portions of our estuaries where species depend on the saltwater that comes in from the ocean (Figure 1.1a and 1.1b). Oregon’s nearshore environment is home to a vast array of fish, invertebrate species, marine mammals, birds, algae, plants, and a diversity of other organisms. This region includes a variety of habitats ranging from open waters dotted with islands, to submerged high-relief rocky reefs, to soft sandy and muddy bottoms, to broad expanses of sandy beaches interspersed with rocky headlands, to mudflats, sloughs and channels in estuaries. These are the waters and habitats that are the focus of the Oregon Nearshore Strategy (Nearshore Strategy). All of these components are an integral part of a complex nearshore ecosystem. They are interconnected through food webs, nutrient cycling, habitat usage, ocean currents, atmospheric forcing and a multitude of other biological, physical, chemical, geological and human use factors. Human Uses, Impacts and Ecosystem Services As human populations and activities in and around our nearshore environments continue to grow, so do human impacts on the fish, wildlife, and habitats found there. Coastal development, agriculture, sport and commercial fishing, recreational Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from boating, dredging, shipping, wastewater ecosystems. These services can be broken into four disposal, aquaculture, along with energy categories: development and consumption, are just a provisioning services - such as food and product materials; few nearshore marine resource uses that benefit human communities. However, regulating services - that affect climate, floods, disease, wastes, and water quality; these activities also have the potential to adversely impact the health of our oceans. cultural services - that provide recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits; and The need for careful, proactive planning and management, balancing multiple supporting services - such as photosynthesis and nutrient uses, is clear. cycling. (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005) 2 Oregon Nearshore Strategy - Public Review Draft June 19, 2015 Figure 1.1a. Oregon's Nearshore is defined as the area from the outer boundary of the territorial sea to the shoreline affected by extreme high tides and up into the estuaries where species depend on saltwater from the ocean (northern portion). 3 Oregon Nearshore Strategy - Public Review Draft June 19, 2015 Figure 2.1b. Oregon's Nearshore is defined by the area from the outer boundary of the territorial sea to the shoreline affected by extreme high tides and up into the estuaries where species depend on saltwater from the ocean (southern portion). 4 Oregon Nearshore Strategy - Public Review Draft June 19, 2015 Conservation and Management Planning - The Nearshore Strategy The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW’s) Marine Resources Program has undertaken a comprehensive planning effort to identify conservation and management actions for ODFW and our partners to undertake, to augment the long term sustainable management of nearshore resources in Oregon. The result is the Oregon Nearshore Strategy. The Mission The mission of Oregon’s Nearshore Strategy is to promote actions that will conserve ecological functions and nearshore marine resources to provide long-term ecological, economic, and social benefits for current and future generations of Oregonians. To achieve this mission, the Nearshore Strategy identifies three primary goals. These goals, along with corresponding objectives (described later in Chapter 9: Recommendations), help develop and guide actions that will result in sustainable nearshore marine resources and ecological functions. The goals of the Nearshore Strategy are: Goal 1: Improved communication and partnerships Goal 2: Improved science and information Goal 3: Improved policy and management processes Vision Statement Oregon’s nearshore marine resources are thriving in a healthy, functioning ecosystem due to cooperative efforts and support by current and future generations of Oregonians. The vision statement describes intended outcome of the mission and goals in the Nearshore Strategy. This vision recognizes that cooperation between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the public is necessary to meet the Nearshore Strategy mission. What the Nearshore Strategy Is The Nearshore Strategy provides information on nearshore marine fish and wildlife and related conservation needs, ultimately addressing management and policy issues in a broader social and ecological context. The Strategy does not create or recommend any specific regulations. It presents recommendations for ODFW’s management of marine fish and wildlife and identifies potential areas of opportunity for other public or private entities, state and local agencies, and tribes to contribute to the sustainability of Oregon’s nearshore resources. The information is organized into five core chapters, and a synthesis chapter: Chapter 4: Coastal communities (human dimensions), Chapter 5: Nearshore strategy species Chapter 6: Factors and stressors affecting species and habitats, Chapter 7: Nearshore habitats, Chapter 8: Nearshore research and monitoring needs, and Chapter 9: Recommendations. 5 Oregon Nearshore Strategy - Public Review Draft June 19, 2015 The information and recommendations in the Nearshore Strategy are the result of a collaborative process led by ODFW staff. Members of the public, ocean-related businesses (including fishing), recreational interests, conservation groups, government agencies, tribes, universities, and many other sectors contributed to the development of the Strategy, both during its initial development in 2005 and in 2015 for the 10-year revision. A substantial benefit of involving the public in preparing the Nearshore Strategy is the opportunity for participants with diverse backgrounds to build relationships while sharing their respective visions, values, and concerns for the nearshore environment. How the Nearshore Strategy Will Be Used One of the most important outcomes of the diversity of inputs in the Nearshore Strategy process is the identification of a collective set of voluntary conservation and management priorities that can guide strategic investment of time and funding in a manner consistent with public interest. The Nearshore Strategy is intended to guide marine education and outreach, research and monitoring, and management and policy actions towards priority nearshore issues and areas that are not being addressed by existing management processes. ODFW is an active participant in many of these marine management and policy processes, for example, ODFW participates in the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which develops policy and management for federally managed marine fisheries species, and the Ocean Policy Advisory Council, a forum for advancing policies related to the state’s three-mile territorial sea. The Strategy will help direct attention and resources to priority areas where they can have the most positive impact on nearshore fish and wildlife, their habitats, and the nearshore ecosystem as a whole. 6 Oregon Nearshore Strategy - Public Review Draft June 19, 2015 2. NEARSHORE STRATEGY CONTEXT Growing pressures on marine resources reach beyond Oregon to regional, national, and global scales. This trend is sure to continue with future population growth and intensification of human activities. At the same time, there is a trend of increasing awareness and interest in ocean conservation issues. Examples include the 2003 Pew Oceans Commission report, the 2004 U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report, the 2006 West Coast Governors Alliance on Ocean Health, the 2010 Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force and the subsequent National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan issued by the National Ocean Council in 2013. In essence, there has been high level agreement on the importance of utilizing effective ecosystem-based approaches to managing
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