Deep Sea: CINMS

In 2018 scientists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) completed surveys of warty sea cucumber (WSC) abundance and distribution at two sites off Anacapa Island (15-60 m deep). The purpose of this study was to characterize previously observed seasonal changes in abundance at depths that are poorly studied for this species.

The California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) was formed in 1949 to study the ecological aspects of the Pacific sardine population collapse off California. Today, the focus has shifted to the study of the marine environment off the coast of California, the management of its living resources, and monitoring the indicators of El Nino and climate change.

Biological, geophysical, and anthropogenic sound sources all combine to make up an underwater acoustic environment, or “soundscape.” Because ocean water conducts light very poorly and conducts sound very well, many marine organisms rely on sound for communication, navigation, reproduction, and foraging. Using a network of moored hydrophones around the sanctuary, we can examine how soundscapes vary at each location and across sanctuary habitats.

There is a compelling need to understand the effects of changing ocean climate on deep-sea corals. Deep-sea corals are long-lived animals. Like trees, they grow to be very old and they are sessile, or fixed in place. Their branches provide substrate and refuge to many associated species. So, any natural or anthropogenic threats to deep-sea corals can bring changes to this ecosystem. Warming oceans threaten deep water communities because they are stenothermal, adapted to stable cold-water conditions. Acidified oceans may also be a threat, because stony coral skeletons are comprised of aragonite, a form of calcium carbonate that dissolves under acidified conditions. Scientific studies will help to understand the resilience of deep water species to a changing climate.

The Santa Barbara Channel Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (SBC MBON) is designed to provide a complete picture of marine biodiversity in the region. SBC MBON is developing a widely applicable research model that integrates new information with existing data to improve current research and monitoring programs and provide greater insight into marine biodiversity.

Place-based fisheries and coastal zone managers depend on fine scale bathymetry and habitat maps for an array of critical decisions including: navigational safety, disaster response, endangered species and fisheries management, conservation, research, energy development, and marine planning. Yet, in southern California nearly 90% of U.S. waters remain unmapped at an appropriate resolution. As of 2014, the unmapped area within NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) was over 50% with the majority being characterized by single beam and lead line data from the 1930s. To address this critical information gap, offices across the NOAA family, together with other state and federal partners are uniting and filling the void.

The Hook and Line Survey uses rod and reel gear to sample fish in areas that are difficult to survey using traditional methods such as research trawl nets. These areas include hard seafloor habitats like rocky reefs, boulder fields, and large undersea cliffs and pinnacles. Most of the species targeted by the Hook and Line Survey are rockfish, which are taxonomically classified in the genus Sebastes. Key species of rockfish include bocaccio (S. paucispinis), cowcod (S. levis), greenspotted rockfish (S. chlorostictus), and the vermilion rockfish complex (S. miniatus and S. crocotulus).