Understanding the Habitat Value and Function of Shoals and Shoal Complexes to Fish and Fisheries on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf
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_______________ OCS Study BOEM 2015-012 Understanding the Habitat Value and Function of Shoals and Shoal Complexes to Fish and Fisheries on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Literature Synthesis and Gap Analysis U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Headquarters Herndon, VA Understanding the Habitat Value and Function of Shoals and Shoal Complexes to Fish and Fisheries on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Literature Synthesis and Gap Analysis Principal Authors Deborah Rutecki, Normandeau Associates Timothy Dellapenna, Texas A&M University, Galveston Eric Nestler, Normandeau Associates Fred Scharf, University of North Carolina, Wilmington Jay Rooker, Texas A&M University, Galveston Christopher Glass, University of New Hampshire Ann Pembroke, Normandeau Associates Prepared under BOEM Contract M12PS00009 by Normandeau Associates, Inc. 25 Nashua Rd. Bedford, NH 03110 Published by U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Headquarters DISCLAIMER Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under Contract Number M12PC00009. This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. AVAILABILITY Copies of this report may be obtained from BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS) at the following website: http://www.boem.gov/Environmental- Studies-EnvData/ by searching for BOEM 2015-012. CITATION Suggested Citation: Rutecki, D., T. Dellapenna, E. Nestler, F. Scharf, J. Rooker, C. Glass, and A. Pembroke. 2014. Understanding the Habitat Value and Function of Shoals and Shoal Complexes to Fish and Fisheries on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf. Literature Synthesis and Gap Analysis. Prepared for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Contract # M12PS00009. BOEM 2015-012. 176 pp. About the Cover Regional bathymetric map showing the classic ridge and swale topography on the mid-Atlantic continental shelf, Maryland and Delaware. From CSA et al. (2010). TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. I LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................... III LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... IV ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................... V 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................. 1 1.2 APPROACH .................................................................................................. 3 1.3 LITERATURE SEARCH METHODS .................................................................... 6 1.4 ADDITIONAL LITERATURE REVIEWS AND SYNTHESES ....................................... 6 1.5 ORGANIZATION ............................................................................................. 7 2.0 GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY ......................................................................... 9 2.1 WHAT ARE SHOALS? GEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS .................................... 9 2.1.1 Geological History of Shoals ........................................................... 9 2.1.2 Relict Holocene and Pleistocene Deposit Shoals ......................... 10 2.1.3 Cape-Associated Shoals ............................................................... 17 2.1.4 Bedform Shoals ............................................................................ 22 2.2 PHYSICAL PROCESSES GOVERNING SHOALS ............................................... 32 2.2.1 Regional Differences between Shelf/Shoal Settings ..................... 32 2.2.2 Physical Oceanographic Differences between Shoal Regions ..... 40 2.2.3 Variability of Sediment Transport among Shoals .......................... 43 2.2.4 Assessing Potential Impacts and Recovery of Sand Mining of Shoals: a Geological Perspective ................................................ 44 2.3 DISTRIBUTION OF SHOALS IN BOEM OCS PLANNING AREAS ....................... 48 2.3.1 Atlantic OCS Region ..................................................................... 49 2.3.2 Gulf of Mexico OCS Region .......................................................... 50 2.4 SUMMARY .................................................................................................. 50 3.0 VALUE AND FUNCTION OF SHOAL HABITAT .............................................. 51 3.1 VALUE OF SHOAL HABITAT .......................................................................... 51 3.2 BIOPHYSICAL COUPLING AND THE FUNCTION OF SHOAL HABITAT ................... 51 4.0 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE USAGE OF SHOAL HABITATS .......................... 54 4.1 BENTHOS .................................................................................................. 54 4.1.1 Habitat Associations and Spatial Distribution ................................ 54 4.1.2 Habitat Associations and Temporal Distribution ........................... 57 i TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.1.3 Species of Special Conservation or Fisheries Importance ............ 58 4.1.4 Recovery from Disturbance: Recruitment and Colonization .......... 59 4.2 FISHES ...................................................................................................... 60 4.2.1 Description of Fishes Associated with Shoals and Shoal Complex Habitats ........................................................................ 61 4.2.2 Shoal Habitat Value ...................................................................... 80 4.2.3 Behavior of Fishes on or Around Shoals and Shoal Complexes ... 83 4.3 SUMMARY .................................................................................................. 84 5.0 ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION GAPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT STEPS ........................................................................................ 87 5.1 GEOLOGY AND PHYSICAL PROCESSES ........................................................ 87 5.1.1 Distinguishing Characteristics of Shoal Types .............................. 87 5.1.2 Extent of the Resource ................................................................. 88 5.1.3 Applicability of Physical Processes Data from Inner Continental Shelf to OCS Sand Shoals .......................................................... 89 5.1.4 Physical Recovery of OCS Shoals from Disturbance.................... 89 5.2 BIOLOGY ................................................................................................... 90 5.2.1 Species Occurrence and Utilization .............................................. 90 5.3 BIOPHYSICAL COUPLING ........................................................................... 104 5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT STEPS ...................................................... 105 6.0 LITERATURE CITED ...................................................................................... 109 7.0 GLOSSARY .................................................................................................... 126 APPENDIX A: WORKSHOP AGENDA AND PRESENTATIONS ........................ 129 APPENDIX B: SUMMARY OF ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLANNING AREAS ............................ 164 ATLANTIC PLANNING AREAS ............................................................................ 165 GULF OF MEXICO PLANNING AREAS ................................................................ 165 SUPPLEMENTAL TABLES ................................................................................. 165 ii LIST OF FIGURES List of Figures Figure 1-1. U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf region showing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Planning Area boundaries and the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary. ............................................... 4 Figure 1-2. U.S. Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf region showing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Planning Area boundaries and the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary. ......................... 5 Figure 2-1. Geology of Sabine Bank. .......................................................................... 12 Figure 2-2. Evolution and current characteristics of St. Bernard Shoals. ................... 15 Figure 2-3. Relict Pleistocene/Holocene Deposit Shoals. .......................................... 17 Figure 2-4. Cape associated shoals and “Massifs.” .................................................... 19 Figure 2-5. Characteristics of Cape Lookout Shoal, a cape-associated shoal. .......... 21 Figure 2-6. Characteristics of sorted bedform shoals off of Wrightsville Beach, NC. ............................................................................................................ 24 Figure 2-7. Characteristics of the Continuum of Morpho-Sedimentary Bedforms. ..... 26 Figure 2-8. Shoal fields off of the Maryland-Delaware coast. ....................................