Calypso U.S. Pipeline, LLC, Mile Post (MP) 31 - MP 0 Deep-water Marine Benthic Video Survey Final Report Submitted to: Calypso U.S. Pipeline, LLC 1 August 2006 Submitted by: Charles G. Messing, Ph.D., Brian K. Walker, M.S. and Richard E. Dodge, Ph.D. National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33004 John Reed, M.S., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution 5600 U.S. 1, North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946 1 Table of Contents I. Table of Contents................................................................................................................................2 II. List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... 3 III. List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................... 4 IV. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................................... 5 V. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 7 VI. PURPOSE.......................................................................................................................................... 7 VII. STUDY AREA..................................................................................................................................... 8 VIII. BACKGROUND INFORMATION........................................................................................................... 9 IX. METHODS ....................................................................................................................................... 12 A. Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)...................................................................................................... 12 B. Survey Pattern.................................................................................................................................. 12 C. Data Collection ................................................................................................................................. 13 D. Data Analyses................................................................................................................................... 14 E. Terminology...................................................................................................................................... 15 F. Summary of Survey Protocols ............................................................................................................ 15 G. QA/QC............................................................................................................................................. 15 H. Personnel......................................................................................................................................... 16 X. RESULTS......................................................................................................................................... 17 A. Fauna .............................................................................................................................................. 17 1. Shallow soft-bottom fauna (~600-1100 ft)........................................................................................ 17 2. Deep soft-bottom fauna (~1400-2570 ft) ......................................................................................... 18 3. Shallow hard-bottom fauna (~690-1100 ft) ...................................................................................... 20 4. Deep hard-bottom fauna (~1100-1725 ft) ........................................................................................ 24 B. Habitat categories ............................................................................................................................. 27 C. Transect Habitat Summary................................................................................................................. 30 D. Transect habitat summary for pipeline route BVS transect EW2 (extracted from DWP Project Final Report)33 E. Quantitative Data .............................................................................................................................. 34 XI. POTENTIAL IMPACTS ...................................................................................................................... 39 XII. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 45 2 I. List of Figures Figure 1. Television Observed Nautical Grappling System (TONGS). Figure 2. Proposed Calypso LNG pipeline route with benthic video survey segment in red. Figure 3. Shallow soft-bottom fauna. Figure 4. Deep soft-bottom fauna. Figure 5. Deep soft-bottom fishes. Figure 6. Shallow hard-bottom fauna. Figure 7. Hardbottom fishes. Figure 8. Deep-water colonial azooxanthellate scleractinian corals. Figure 9. Deep hard-bottom fauna. Figure 10. Sediment substrates. Figure 11. Low- and high-cover hard-bottom substrates. Figure 12. Low-, moderate and high-relief substrates. Figure 13. Coral sediment substrates. Figure 14. CPCe analysis of percentage substrate cover, excluding shadows. Figure 15. CPCe analysis of percentage substrate cover, excluding shadows, for the three quantitative sites (5-7) taken along the pipeline route (EW2) during the Deep Water Port Project benthic video survey. Figure 16. Percent contributions of major taxonomic groups of sessile and semi-sessile, habitat- forming, hard-bottom organisms to total organism densities at quantitative still photographic sites. Figure 17. Percent contributions of major taxonomic groups of sessile and semi-sessile, habitat- forming, hard-bottom organisms to total organism densities at the three quantitative photo sites (5- 7) taken along the pipeline route (EW2) during the Deep Water Port Project benthic video survey. 3 II. List of Tables Table 1. Deep-water colony-forming corals capable of forming complex 3-dimensional habitats in 200-2000 m off the southeastern United States. Table 2. Sessile or semisessile organisms other than colonial corals that may indicate hard-bottom substrates in 200-2000 m off the southeastern United States. Table 3. Locality and image data for quantitative still photographic sites. Table 4. CPCe analysis of percentage substrate cover. Table 5. Counts and densities of individual organisms in CPC analysis images. Table 6. Counts and densities of individual organisms in CPC analysis images for the three quantitative photo sites taken along the pipeline route during the Deep Water Port Survey (sites 5-7 along transect EW2). Table 7. Counts and densities of individual sessile and semi-sessile organisms in CPC analysis images for the three quantitative photo sites taken along the pipeline route during the Deep Water Port Survey (sites 5-7 along transect EW2). 4 III. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • The benthic video survey carried out for the Calypso U.S. Pipeline examined ~50 nm of linear transects of the seafloor off Fort Lauderdale, FL, along the permitted pipeline track and, where hard-bottom habitats were encountered, in adjacent segments !150 ft to the north and south of the pipeline track, using.the US Navy’s Television Observed Nautical Grappling System (TONGS) remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The survey was conducted from 11 to 15 May 2006. • Analyses of videographic and still photographic data revealed six habitat types: 1) Sediment (obsolete rippled and flat bioturbated). 2) Low-cover hard bottom – scattered clusters of rubble or small rocks, often in patches a few meters across, rarely in more extensive fields, and separated by expanses of sediment, occasionally accompanied by a few low-relief rocks up to 0.8 m across and rare veneered slabs or pavements to 1 m across. 3. High-cover hard bottom – Low- to moderate-relief hardbottom characterized by phosphoritic limestone outcrops, slabs and pavements, the latter up to several meters across, with varying amounts of rubble and small to large rocks, often in patches separated by expanses of sediment and intermixed with low- or high-cover hard- bottom areas of scattered rubble, small rocks and outcrops. 4. Moderate-relief hard bottom – A subset of high-cover hardbottom, this habitat appeared chiefly on the Miami Terrace escarpment and was characterized by irregular eroded outcrops, boulders, slabs and pavements with the dominant vertical relief from ~0.5 to 2 m. 5. High-relief hard bottom – A subset of high-cover hard bottom and restricted to the Terrace escarpment. Consisted of ledges, steep slopes and escarpments—abrupt vertical and near-vertical hard substrates with generally greater than 1-m relief and reaching 20 m, including sharp and often projecting vertical edges of pavements and slabs, boulder-strewn or irregular cemented karstic slopes, often with sediment areas with rocks and boulders at their bases. 6. Tilefish burrows – A single great northern tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) was observed. 7. Pennatulids – chiefly widely scattered colonies of a sea pen in >900 ft. 8. Coral rubble –Small skeletal debris—twigs and small branches of colonial azooxanthellate stony corals (Scleractinia) ranging from sparse to dense, with broken branches forming a continuous carpet. 9. Dead standing coral – At least partly intact skeletal remains of colonial