Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series MSD-01-04 Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: Proceedings of the 1998 Research Workshop, Seattle, Washington U.S. Department of Commerce November 2001 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Ocean Service Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management Marine Sanctuaries Division About the Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Sanctuary Division (MSD) administers the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Its mission is to identify, designate, protect and manage the ecological, recreational, research, educational, historical, and aesthetic resources and qualities of nationally significant coastal and marine areas. The existing marine sanctuaries differ widely in their natural and historical resources and include nearshore and open ocean areas ranging in size from less than one to over 5,000 square miles. Protected habitats include rocky coasts, kelp forests, coral reefs, sea grass beds, estuarine habitats, hard and soft bottom habitats, segments of whale migration routes, and shipwrecks. Because of considerable differences in settings, resources, and threats, each marine sanctuary has a tailored management plan. Conservation, education, research, monitoring and enforcement programs vary accordingly. The integration of these programs is fundamental to marine protected area management. The Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series reflects and supports this integration by providing a forum for publication and discussion of the complex issues currently facing the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Topics of published reports vary substantially and may include descriptions of educational programs, discussions on resource management issues, and results of scientific research and monitoring projects. The series will facilitate integration of natural sciences, socioeconomic and cultural sciences, education, and policy development to accomplish the diverse needs of NOAA’s resource protection mandate. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: Proceedings of the 1998 Research Workshop, Seattle, Washington C. Edward Bowlby1, Barbara A. Blackie1, Julia K. Parrish2 Editors 1NOAA, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary 2University of Washington, Department of Zoology and School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences U. S. Department of Commerce Donald Evans, Secretary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Scott B. Gudes, Under Secretary, Acting Silver Spring, Maryland National Ocean Service November 2001 Margaret Davidson, Assistant Administrator, Acting DISCLAIMER Report content does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the National Marine Sanctuary System or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation. REPORT AVAILABILITY Electronic copies of this report may be downloaded from the National Marine Sanctuary System’s web site at www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov. Hard copies may be obtained from the following address: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Sanctuaries Division SSMC4, N/ORM62 1305 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 SUGGESTED CITATION Bowlby, C. Edward, Barbara A. Blackie, and Julia K. Parrish (editors). 2001. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: Proceedings of the 1998 Research Workshop, Seattle, Washington. Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series MSD-01-04. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Sanctuaries Division, Silver Spring, MD. 84 pp. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................................i LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ...........................................................................................ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................iii INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 PRESENTATIONS ....................................................................................................................3 Workshop Overview - Ed Bowlby...................................................................................3 Workshop Goals - Julia Parrish .......................................................................................3 Sanctuary Program - Todd Jacobs ...................................................................................4 Bigger NOAA Picture - Don Scavia ................................................................................6 Coastal Oceanography - Jerry Galt ..................................................................................9 Harmful Algal Blooms - Jim Postel...............................................................................11 Trawl Surveys and Habitat Types - Mark Zimmermann and Mark Wilkins ...................14 Geological Surveys - Pat McCrory ................................................................................18 Intertidal Ecology - Bob Paine.......................................................................................20 Sea Otter and Subtidal Surveys - Pat Iampietro .............................................................23 Pinniped Population Trends - Harriet Huber..................................................................26 Seabird Colonies - Julia Parrish.....................................................................................28 At-sea Distribution of Seabirds - Chris Thompson.........................................................31 FOCUS GROUP REPORTS.....................................................................................................35 Group Report on Nearshore Communities.....................................................................35 Group Report on Fish and Shellfish Biology .................................................................36 Group Report on Seabirds and Marine Mammals ..........................................................39 Group Report on Physical and Biological Oceanography...............................................42 Group Report on Cultural and Historical Resources ......................................................45 FINAL SYNTHESIS ................................................................................................................47 LITERATURE CITED .............................................................................................................50 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................51 APPENDIX ..............................................................................................................................53 i LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Page Figure 1. Chart of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary....................................................2 Table 1. Major Recommendations from the First Olympic Coast Marine Research Workshop...................................................................................................................54 Table 2. Agenda for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Research Workshop 1998..........................................................................................................55 Table 3. List of Abstracts from the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Research Workshop 1998..........................................................................................................57 Table 4. List of acronyms used in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Research Workshop 1998...........................................................................................73 Table 5. Participant list from the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Research Workshop 1998..........................................................................................................75 Table 6. Group discussion list provided to participants of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Research Workshop 1998. ...........................................................82 Table 7. Final synthesis of recommendations from the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Research Workshop 1998. .......................................................................84 ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS or Sanctuary) planned and organized the 1998 Research Workshop as part of its mission to protect and improve understanding of its marine resources through research and education programs. The Sanctuary is also mandated to coordinate and facilitate information exchanges and sponsors periodic research workshops to that end. The goals of the 1998 Research Workshop were as follows: A. Highlight and prioritize research needs for the Sanctuary relative to the development of a framework for a five-year research plan; B. Build on results from the Olympic Coast Marine Research Workshop of 1996; C. Present recent/ongoing research; D. Share multi-disciplinary information; E. Select priority sites for multi-disciplinary studies; and F. Promote student participation and research. Pre-workshop information packets were sent to a targeted audience of marine scientists, resource managers, interested individuals, and students. This packet contained the major recommendations from the 1996 Research Workshop. It also contained a list of potential topics that would be