Survey Methods, Data Collections, and Species Observations from the 2015 Survey to SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Marine Protected Area K.S.P. Gale, J.M.R. Curtis, K.H. Morgan, C. Stanley, W. Szaniszlo, L.A. Burke, L.N.K. Davidson, B. Doherty, G. Gatien, M. Gauthier, S. Gauthier, D.R. Haggarty, D. Ianson, A. Neill, J. Pegg, K. Wallace, and J.D.M. Zand Fisheries and Oceans Canada Science Branch, Pacific Region Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo, British Columbia V9T 6N7 2017 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 3206 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Technical reports contain scientific and technical information that contributes to existing knowledge but which is not normally appropriate for primary literature. Technical reports are directed primarily toward a worldwide audience and have an international distribution. 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Les demandes de rapports seront satisfaites par l'établissement auteur dont le nom figure sur la couverture et la page du titre. Les numéros 1 à 456 de cette série ont été publiés à titre de Rapports techniques de l'Office des recherches sur les pêcheries du Canada. Les numéros 457 à 714 sont parus à titre de Rapports techniques de la Direction générale de la recherche et du développement, Service des pêches et de la mer, ministère de l'Environnement. Les numéros 715 à 924 ont été publiés à titre de Rapports techniques du Service des pêches et de la mer, ministère des Pêches et de l'Environnement. Le nom actuel de la série a été établi lors de la parution du numéro 925. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 3206 2017 SURVEY METHODS, DATA COLLECTIONS, AND SPECIES OBSERVATIONS FROM THE 2015 SURVEY TO SGAAN KINGHLAS-BOWIE MARINE PROTECTED AREA By K.S.P. Gale1, J.M.R. Curtis2, K.H. Morgan3, C. Stanley1, W. Szaniszlo4, L.A. Burke5, L.N.K. Davidson6, B. Doherty7, G. Gatien1, M. Gauthier1, S. Gauthier1, D.R. Haggarty2, D. Ianson1, A. Neill8, J. Pegg2, K. Wallace9, and J.D.M. Zand9 1Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, Pacific Region, Institute of Ocean Sciences, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, BC, Canada V8L 4B2 2Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, Pacific Region, Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, Canada V9T 6N7 3Canadian Wildlife Service, Institute of Ocean Sciences, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, BC, Canada V8L 4B2 4Independent contractor, Ucluelet, BC, Canada 5School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5C2 6Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 7Quantitative Fisheries Research Group, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 8Department of Biology and School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5C2 9Highland Technologies, Inc., 525 Caleb Pike Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 6G8 ©Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2017 Cat. No. Fs97-6/3206E-PDF ISBN 978-0-660-07924-0 ISSN 1488-5379 Correct citation for this publication: Gale, K.S.P., Curtis, J.M.R., Morgan, K.H., Stanley, C., Szaniszlo, W., Burke, L.A., Davidson, L.N.K., Doherty, B., Gatien, G., Gauthier, M., Gauthier, S., Haggarty, D.R., Ianson, D., Neill, A., Pegg, J., Wallace, K., and Zand, J.D.M. 2017. Survey Methods, Data Collections, and Species Observations from the 2015 Survey to SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Marine Protected Area. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3206: vii + 94 p. iii Abstract Gale, K.S.P., Curtis, J.M.R., Morgan, K.H., Stanley, C., Szaniszlo, W., Burke, L.A., Davidson, L.N.K., Doherty, B., Gatien, G., Gauthier, M., Gauthier, S., Haggarty, D.R., Ianson, D., Neill, A., Pegg, J., Wallace, K., and Zand, J.D.M. 2017. Survey Methods, Data Collections, and Species Observations from the 2015 Survey to SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Marine Protected Area. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3206: vii + 94 p. Bowie Seamount, which has a minimum depth of 24 m and is located approximately 175 km west of Haida Gwaii, is the shallowest seamount in Canada’s Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Initial research on the biology of Bowie Seamount, coupled with interest from the Haida Nation, led to Bowie Seamount and the adjacent Hodgkins and Davidson (also called Pierce or Peirce) Seamounts being designated in 2008 as the SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Marine Protected Area (SK-B MPA), which is co- managed by the Government of Canada and the Council of the Haida Nation. In July 2015, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) led a research survey (PAC 2015-48) to study the biology and oceanography of SK-B MPA. The research objectives of the survey were to 1) characterize the biodiversity, benthic community structure, and habitat in management Zones 2 and 3 of SK-B MPA; 2) contrast the planktonic community and chemical oceanography within and outside the boundaries of SK-B MPA in order to quantify the ecological and biological significance of seamounts within the MPA; and 3) collect opportunistic data on the seabird and marine mammal species occurrences within and outside the MPA boundaries and while in transit to and from the MPA. PAC 2015-48 was the pilot survey for “BOOTS”, DFO’s newly developed deep-sea towed camera system, which was used to collect benthic imagery (still photos and video) and had an attached CTD to record water properties. This report provides background information on the geology, biology, and historical fisheries at SK-B MPA, and describes the 2015-48 survey design, methodologies, data processing, and basic analyses of the benthic video, hydro-acoustic, plankton, CTD, seabird, and marine mammal surveys. Documentation on the instrumentation and operating procedures for the BOOTS tow-camera are also provided. Overall, 124 benthic taxa (including morphotypes) were observed from 17 tow-camera dives carried out between 249 m and 1246 m depth on Bowie and Hodgkins Seamounts. This report complements a photo- documented inventory of species observed at SK-B MPA during benthic imagery surveys carried out in 2000, 2011, and 2015 (Gauthier et al. 2018a, b, c). No fishing gear was observed in SK-B MPA, but there was some evidence of drag marks on the seafloor and potential damage to corals. There were 11 species of seabird observed within 50 km of Bowie Seamount, with the majority of observations being Fork- tailed and Leach’s Storm-Petrels (Hydrobates furcatus and H. leucorhous). Seven species of marine mammals were observed over the course of the survey, with Dall’s Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli), Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus), and a large group of Northern Right Whale Dolphins (Lissodelphis borealis) encountered in the Bowie Seamount area. Acoustic data, zooplankton samples, CTD casts, and water samples were collected along a survey grid and will be analyzed to assess the distribution of biota in and around the area of Bowie Seamount. This report will act as metadata for the information collected during the 2015 survey, and a basis for future analyses on the biology and oceanography of Bowie Seamount and SK-B MPA. iv Résumé Gale, K.S.P., Curtis, J.M.R., Morgan, K.H., Stanley, C., Szaniszlo, W., Burke, L.A., Davidson, L.N.K., Doherty, B., Gatien, G., Gauthier, M., Gauthier, S., Haggarty, D.R., Ianson, D., Neill, A., Pegg, J., Wallace, K., and Zand, J.D.M. 2017. Méthodes de relevé, collecte des données et observations des espèces – Relevé de 2015 dans la zone de protection marine SGaan Kinghlas. Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat. 3206: vii + 94 p. Le mont sous-marin Bowie, dont la profondeur minimale est de 24 m et qui se situe à environ 175 km à l'ouest de Haida Gwaii, est le mont sous-marin le moins profond de la zone économique exclusive du Pacifique au Canada. Les recherches initiales sur la biologie du mont sous-marin Bowie, en plus de l'intérêt démontré par la Nation haïda, ont mené à la désignation, en 2008, du mont sous-marin Bowie et des monts sous-marins adjacents Hodgkins et Davidson (aussi appelé Pierce ou Peirce) comme la zone de protection marine SGaam Kinghlas-Bowie (ZPM SK-B), une zone maintenant gérée conjointement par le gouvernement du Canada et le Conseil de la Nation haïda.