KELP FOREST MONITORING HANDBOOK VOLUME 1: SAMPLING PROTOCOL CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK KELP FOREST MONITORING HANDBOOK VOLUME 1: SAMPLING PROTOCOL Channel Islands National Park Gary E. Davis David J. Kushner Jennifer M. Mondragon Jeff E. Mondragon Derek Lerma Daniel V. Richards National Park Service Channel Islands National Park 1901 Spinnaker Drive Ventura, California 93001 November 1997 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1 MONITORING DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS ......................................................... Species Selection ...........................................................................................2 Site Selection .................................................................................................3 Sampling Technique Selection .......................................................................3 SAMPLING METHOD PROTOCOL......................................................................... General Information .......................................................................................8 1 m Quadrats ..................................................................................................9 5 m Quadrats ..................................................................................................11 Band Transects ...............................................................................................13 Random Point Contacts ..................................................................................15 Visual Fish Transects .....................................................................................18 Roving Diver Fish Count................................................................................20 Video-taped Transects and Video Plots ..........................................................23 Size Frequency ...............................................................................................26 Artificial Recruitment Modules......................................................................29 Species Checklist ...........................................................................................32 Oceanographic Conditions .............................................................................33 DATA MANAGEMENT AND DATA HISTORY ....................................................... General Information .......................................................................................34 1 m Quadrats ..................................................................................................35 5 m Quadrats ..................................................................................................38 Band Transects ...............................................................................................39 Random Point Contacts ..................................................................................42 Visual Fish Transects .....................................................................................45 Roving Diver Fish Count................................................................................48 Video-taped Transects and Video Plots ..........................................................49 Size Frequency ...............................................................................................50 Artificial Recruitment Modules......................................................................51 Species Checklist ...........................................................................................53 Oceanographic Conditions .............................................................................54 LITERATURE CITED................................................................................................ APPENDICES Appendix A. Species sampled during Kelp Forest Monitoring .....................A-1 Appendix B. Establishing underwater tansects..............................................B-1 Appendix C. Species Checklist .....................................................................C-1 Appendix D. Logistical Considerations ........................................................D-1 Cruise Preparation .............................................................................D-1 Food Ordering Protocol .....................................................................D-3 Equipment Checklist...........................................................................D-5 Appendix E. Sample Data Sheets ..................................................................E-1 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Description of Kelp Forest Monitoring Sites .................................................... 8 Table 2. Summary of Sampling Techniques .................................................................. 10 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Kelp Forest Monitoring islands and sites .......................................................... 7 Figure 2. Placement of 1m quadrtas................................................................................ 11 Figure 3. Layout of 5m quadrats ..................................................................................... 13 Figure 4. Subadult and adult Macrocystis pyrifera ........................................................ 14 Figure 5. Band transect sampling procedure................................................................... 16 Figure 6. Orientation of Random Point Contact bar ........................................................ 18 Figure 7. Area covered for visual fish counts ................................................................... 20 Figure 8. Roving Diver Fish Count slate .......................................................................... 23 Figure 9. An Artificial Recruitment Module (ARM) ...................................................... 31 iii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS The design of this ecological monitoring program wa supported by the National Park Service in cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Sanctuary Program. More than 150 scientists and resource managers from many academic institutions and resource management agencies participated in this endeavor. Of particular note were the sustained efforts of J. M. Engle, M. D. Conlin, T. J. Herrlinger, T. W. Anderson, J. D. Lewis, D. C. Canestro, S. L. Kim, D. Forcucci, J. W. Trone. Their broad experience greatly strengthened the experimental design and resulting monitoring protocols. iv Volume 1: Sampling Protocol INTRODUCTION Kelp forests constitute one of the largest most complex, and most threatened ecosystems in Channel Islands National Park. Lying across the boundary of two major biogeographical provinces and near unusually persistent upwelling features, the park is endowed with marine ecosystems of exceptional diversity; the five park islands are surrounded by extensive kelp forest habitat and the high produc- tivity supports large, diverse seabird and pinniped rookeries on the islands. As a result of these conditions and the relative isolation from mainland activities, kelp forests in the park are among the best examples of this important ecosystem in southern California. The park boundary extends one nautical mile around each of the five islands, including the waters and submerged lands. The living marine resources in the park are managed by the State of Califor- nia. The National Park Service, in cooperation with the State of California and the U. S. Department of Commerce, are charged with the responsibility of monitoring the health of park ecosystems and recommending actions to better protect those systems (16 USC 41Off Sec. 203). The waters in Channel Islands Natioanl Park constitute less than 3% of California’s coastal zone, yet produce about 15% of the State’s coastal fishery harvests. In spite of closed seasons, individual size and bag limits, and restricted uses in some areas, there are virtually no limits on total harvest of fish, lobster, algae, and other marine organisms from park waters. With this direct harvest impact and the threat of chronic and acute pollution from mainland waste disposal and from adjacent offshore petroleum development, the potential for major anthropogenic disturbance of these ecosystems is great. Natural disturbance also appears to play an important role in this ecosystem, yet very little information on the long-term dynamics of the system are available. The cost of providing the infor- mation required to make wise decision regarding these resources is high, but the cost of losing them through ignorance is higher. Managing and conserving kelp forest requires innovative approaches and more ecological knowledge about them than currently exists. In the 1990’s, the state of California began using data collected by this program to assist California’s abalone resource management strategies. Much of the data collected by this program aided in the States decision to close the pink, green and white abalone fisheries in 1996, and the red abalone fishery in southern California in 1997. Fisheries were closed to prevent brood stock extinction from harvest. This handbook describes design considerations for a long-term population dynamics approach to monitoring kelp forest ecosystems and documents the protocol for monitoring kelp forests in the park. This is the second edition of the Kelp Forest Monitoring Handbook. Changes have been made following 15 years of operation