Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan Continental Shelf, Proce~Dings of the Lower Cook Inlet Synthesis Meeting, January 1978

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Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan Continental Shelf, Proce~Dings of the Lower Cook Inlet Synthesis Meeting, January 1978 Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan 2V611 Continental Shelf Final Reports of Principal Investigator Volume 14, E~olo#cal Studies US. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 0 National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Office of Marine Pollution Assessment 4E11 O U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management u November 1981 TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume 14 – Biological Studies —RU PI/Agency Title z322 5 Feder, H.M. and The Epifauna of Three Bays (Port 001 M.K. Hoberg Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay) -Institute of Marine in Prince William Sound, Alaska, Science with Notes on Feeding Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK 5 Feder, H.M. et al. Distribution, Abundance, Com- 045 -Institute of Marine munity Structure and Trophic Science Relationships of the Nearshore University of Alaska Benthos of Cook Inlet Fairbanks, AK ii The facts, conclusions and issues appearing in these reports are based on interim results of an Alaskan environmental studies program managed by the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP) of the National Oceanic amd Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce, and primarily funded by the Bureau of Land Management (Bin), U.S. Department of Interior, through interagency agreement. DISCLAIMER Mention of a commercial company or product does not constitute an endorsement by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Use for publicity or advertising purposes of information from this publication concerning proprietary products or the tests of such products is not authorized. iii FINAL REPORT THE EPIFAUNA OF THREE BAYS (PORT ETCHES, ZAIKOF BAY AND ROCKY BAY) IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, AIASKA, WITH NOTES ON FEEDING BIOLOGY Howard M. Feder and Max K. Hoberg Institute of Marine Science University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 March 1980 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the following for assistance during this study: Rick Rosenthal for use of the M/V SeaxdzeP, Tom Rosenthal for shipboard assistance; University of A.laskaj Tnstieute of Marine Science personnel Mercia Boyette and Robert Sutherland for assistance in data processing, Krlsty McCumby and Steve McGee for assistance in food analysis, Ama Lea Vincent for drafting, and Helen Stockholm and the Publications Department for valuable assistance. We would also like to thank Stephen Cl. Jewett for editorial commen ts on the manuscript. Dr. D. L. Pawson of the Smith- sonian Institution identified the holothurian material. ‘l%is study was supported under contract No. 03-%022-56 between the University of Alaska and NOAA, Department of Commerce through &he Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program to which funds were provided by the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior. } .[ 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2 LISTOFFIGURES. 4 LIST OF TABLES AND APPENDIX TABLES. 4 SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS WITH RESPECT TO OCS OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT . 5 INTRODUCTION. 6 General Nature and Scope of Study. 6 Relevance to Problems of Petroleum Development . c . 8 CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE. 0 . 0 . 0 9 STUDY AREA. , . 9 SOURCES, METHODS AND RATIONALE OF DATA COLLECTION . s . 1.1 12 RESULTS. 0 12 Port Etches. * . Distribution and abundance . 12 12 Feeding. e . “ . 20 ZaikofBay. 20 Distribution and abundance . ● 0 . 0 . 26 Feeding. 27 Rocky Bay. , . 27 Distribution and abundance . 27 Feeding. 32 DISCUSSION. e . 0 Station Coverage . 32 Biomass. 32 Species Composition and Diversity. “ . 0 33 Food Habits. ● , . 34 CONCLUSIONS. ✎ . 35 REFERENCES. ✎ . ● 37 APPENDIX I - Benthic Trawl Stations Occupied in Three Bays in Prince William Sound, 1978. ..*. ● ✎ . ✎ . 41 APPENDIX II - Percent Frequency of Occurrence of Food Items Consumed by Several Fish Species in Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay, Alaska, July/August 1978. 42 3 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURE Figure 10 Trawl station locations in Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bayv Jul.y/Aagwt 1978 . 10 TABLES Table I. Total epifaunal invertebrate biomass from benthic trawling activities in Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay, July/August 1978 . 13 Table 11. A list of species taken by trawl from Port Etches, Hinchinbrook Island, Alaska, July/Atqguet 1978 . 14 Table ITI. Number, weight, and biomass of major epifaunal invertebrate phyla of Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay, J~ly/August 1978 . 16 Table IV. Number, weight, and biomass of major epifaunal invertebrate families of Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay, July/August 1978 . 17 Table V. Number, weight, and biomass of major epifaunal species from Port Etches9 Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay, July/August1978. * * . ● a e e ● o ● .* ● ● ● * . 18 Table VI. Percent frequency of occurrence of food items found in stomachs of CMorwecetes bahdi from Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay, July/ August1978. 0 . 19 Table VII. ~cnopodia helianthoides stomach contents . ● . 21 Table VIII. A list of species taken by trawl from Zaikof Bay, Montague Island, Alaska, July/August 1978 . 22 Table IX. A list of species taken by trawl from Rocky Bay, Montague Island, Alaska, July/August 1978 . 28 APPENDIX TABLES APPENDIX TABLE I - Benthic trawl stations occupied in three bays in Prince William Sound. 41 APPENDIX TABLE II - Percent frequency of occurrence of food items consumed by several fish species in Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay Alaska. 42 4 SUMMARY OF’ OBJECTIVES, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS WITH RESPECT TO OCS OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT The objectives of this study were to (1) obtain a qualitative and quantitative inventory of dominaut epibenthic species within selected bays of Prince William Sound, and (2) make observations of food habits on selected species of invertebrates and fishes. Twenty-eight stations have been established as a basis for a monitoring program in three bays of Prince William Sound –Port Etches (13 stations), Zaikof Bay (8 stations) and Rocky Bay (7 stations). Information on the distribution and abundance of the major epifaunal invertebrates of the three study bays has been accumulated. Ten phyla are represented in the collection. The important groups, in terms of species were$ in descending order of importance Mollusca$ Arthropoda (Crustacean), and Echinodermata. The important groups, in terms of bio- mass, in Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay were Mollusca: 0.23, 1.84 and 3.29% in the three bays , respectively; Arthropods: 36.26, 45.39 and 5.96%, respectively; and Echinodermata: 62.42, 50.40, and 86.93%, respectively. Further seasonal data are essential. It is only when continuing in- formation is available that biological assessment of the impact of oil spills on the benthic biota of these bays can be effectively accomplished. Feeding data for the snow crab (L’hionoecetes bai~di] and the sunflower sea star (F@nopodia helianthoides) from the three bays are presented in this report. These data, in conjunction with similar data for these species in Prince William Sound, the Kodiak area and the northeast Gulf of Alaska, should contribute co a better understanding of the trophic role of these invertebrates, and permit assessment of the potential impact of oil spills on the two species. The importance of deposit-feeding bivalves in the diet of snow crab$ and bivalves and predatory/scavenger gastropod as food for the sunflower sea star is demonstrated for the three bays. Similar food regimes for these species have also been obsened elsewhere. A high probability 5 exists that hydrocarbons will eneer crabs and sea stars via deposit feed- ing, predatory and scavenging molluscs. It is suggested Ehat studies which examine the relationships between sediment, oil, prey species and predators be initiated. The sampling of invertebrates and vertebrates using trawls, and stom- ach analyses of some of these organisms$ has made it possible to better understand the epifaunal component of three Prince William Sound bays. Available data indicate adequate numbers of unique, abundant, and/or conspicuous species for monitoring environmental conditions in the three bays. A monitoring program should be based primarily on recruitment, growth~ food habits and reproduction of the specific species. INTRODUCTION General Nature and Scope of Study Activities connected with oil transport in Prince William Sound and the possible usage of Port Etches, Zaikof Bay and Rocky Bay as emergency anchorages for tankers, present a wide spectrum of potential dangers to the marine environment (see Olson and Burgess, 1967, for general discus- sion of marine pollution problems). Adverse effects on the environment of Prince William Sound cannot be assessed~ or even predicted, unless back- ground data are recorded prior to industrial development (see Lewis, 1970; Pearson, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1980; Nelson-Smith, 1973; Rosenberg, 1973, for discussions). Insufficient long-term information about a particular en- vironment and the basic biology of species present can lead to erroneous interpretations of changes that might occur if the area becomes altered (see Pearson, 1971, 1972; Nelson-Smith, 1973; Rosenberg, 1973, for general discussions on benthic biological investigations in industrialized marine areas) . Populations of benchic marine species may fluctuate over a time span of a few to as many as 30 or more years (Lewis, 1970). Benthic organisms (primarily the infauna and sessile and slow-moving epifauna) are useful as indicator species because they tend to remain in place, typically react to long-range environmental changes, and by their 6 presence, generally reflect the nature of the substratum. Consequently,
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