The conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources is
central to NOAA's mission. The Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996
added broad new mandates for managers regarding population status,
defining essential fish habitat (EFH), and mitigating the effects
of fishing on EFH. NURP-supported research aids resource managers
by providing information to develop refined population surveys of
managed species, improve EFH designations, and develop management
measures for mitigating the effects of fishing. Use of technical
and mixed gas diving, human occupied submersibles, remotely operated
vehicles (ROVs), and other advanced underwater technologies by scientists
allows research to be conducted at spatial scales unattainable using
traditional methods (e.g. trawls, grabs, etc.).
To ensure that the information needs of resource managers are being
met, NURP headquarters and its regional Centers coordinate directly
with these managers at both the headquarters and regional levels
in NOAA Fisheries and NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program,
as well as with regional Fisheries Management Councils and other
federal, state, and local resource managers. By coordinating directly
with those responsible for managing fisheries, NURP is able to identify
and address short- and long-term research needs that will help improve
the information base upon which management actions are made.
Listed below are some examples of how NURP has responded to the
research needs of NOAA resource managers:
I. Management Objective - Improving Population Assessments
NOAA Fisheries has the responsibility to assess the population status
of exploited species and provide information from these assessments
to decision-makers to address short-term management information
needs.
NURP's research improves population assessments by using
an in-situ approach to develop estimates of population status
for species that occur in habitats (e.g., coral reefs, rocky boulders)
that are difficult to sample with traditional methodologies. Traditionally,
fisheries assessments have been conducted by sampling with towed
or fixed fishing gear (e.g. trawls, nets, etc.) to develop population
estimates or indices. By using advanced underwater technologies
(e.g. mixed gas diving, ROVs, submersibles, etc.), scientists
are able to develop a more precise estimate of fish populations
in difficult sampling areas. Examples of NURP's use of advanced
underwater technologies to conduct population assessments are:
A.
Coral Reef Fishes - Coral reef fish species are difficult
to assess and their distributions within reef landscape are highly
variable. An intensive NURP-funded population survey of reef fishes
in the Florida Keys by Nitrox divers (divers using a gas mixture
that reduces nitrogen exposure) produced the first synoptic fishery-independent
assessment of reef fish populations for use by the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council. Data provided to the Council showed
that particular species occur within certain habitat types and
may be used to stratify future surveys for key species.
B.
Alaskan Rockfish - Yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus)
are part of a diverse group of rockfish species that occur in
the Gulf of Alaska and are targeted by commercial fishermen. Fishery
independent trawl surveys have been used in the past to assess
the status of rockfish populations, but high variations in catches
reduced the precision of such estimates. Yelloweye rockfish live
in a rugged habitat, much of which cannot be trawled. NURP-funded
studies using a human occupied submersible have demonstrated that
the abundance of yelloweye is highly correlated with habitat type.
This specific funding was key to improving population biomass
estimates for this species. This method is now the standard assessment
technique for this commercially important species, resulting in
more refined population estimates and reducing uncertainty in
management decisions.
C.
The American Lobster - The American lobster (Homarus americanus)
is the most economically valuable species in the U.S. and has
been a sustainable fishery for over 150 years. The questions plaguing
resource managers are why is the fishery still sustainable and
what steps should they take to ensure the fisheries sustainability
in the future? To help answer these questions, a NURP-funded study
surveyed lobster distribution and abundance where egg-bearing
females had been previously caught in deep waters along Maine's
coast. Using an ROV, two sites were identified with high densities
of reproductive phase lobsters. It was found that the distribution
of larval lobsters, captured using traditional plankton sampling,
is highly correlated with distribution of females that released
larvae into the water column. Results from this study suggest
that directed conservation of reproductive lobsters could enhance
the sustainability of this critical resource (More
Info). Project Summary: 1997,
1999,
2001
II. Management Objective - Defining Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
for Managed Species
Understanding the linkages between habitat attributes and the survival,
growth, and reproduction of fish is essential for designation, conservation,
and management of EFH. Prior to the 1980's, most of what we knew
about the habitat requirements of fishes on the outer continental
shelf and slope comes from studies conducted at large spatial scales
(e.g., correlation of trawl catches with regional scale sediment
maps). Additionally, most of the knowledge we have regarding how
individual fishes interact with their surrounding landscape come
from scuba diving studies conducted in habitats of less than 150
feet (i.e., shallow coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests).
NURP's research defines essential fish habitat for managed
species using advanced underwater technologies. Advanced underwater
technologies allow scientists to use an in situ approach to define
essential fish habitat at deeper depths, as well as actually "see"
what the fishes habitat and interaction with the habitat is either
directly using submersibles and technical diving or virtually
with ROVs and seafloor observatories. NURP-funded research using
advanced underwater technologies has been used directly by resource
managers, including the regional Fishery Management Councils,
for designation of EFH and for assessing the impacts of fishing
on those attributes of habitat identified as important for survivorship
of managed species.
A.
New Technologies for Habitat Mapping - Low light penetration
and poor water clarity have permitted only a limited understanding
of the role of deeper seafloor habitats and the fish that use
these habitats. By illuminating the seafloor with a laser from
a height that affords a synoptic view, laser line scan (LLS) technology
is able to overcome the limitations to mapping imposed by deeper
seafloors. NURP and NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration sponsored
a field test off the coast of central California to determine
the success of LLS in mapping seafloor habitats. LLS was able
to image the seafloor landscape at a resolution that allowed for
delineation of seafloor landscape features and quantification
of the composition and distribution of fish that use these landscapes
as habitats. It was found that LLS provides a synoptic view not
possible from conventional video or photographic systems and a
level of detail much greater than that available through acoustic
techniques (sidescan and multibeam sonar mapping; More
Info). Project Summary: 2001
B.
Hawaiian Bottomfish - Beginning in the late 1980s, concern
regarding the status of the Hawaiian Bottomfish Fishery began
to escalate over a decrease in commercial landings. Fishermen
were fishing more and yet catching less fish. In 1998, the Hawaii
Department of Land and Natural Resources implemented Administrative
Rule Chapter 13-94 to set regulations to conserve remaining bottomfish
stocks. During the process of creating these rules, the realization
was made that although the Hawaiian Bottomfish Fishery has been
in existence for hundreds of years, there was relatively little
known about their habitat requirements. In an effort to better
understand what was so special about these fishing sites, a partnership
was formed in 1998 between the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural
Resources and NURP, NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Oceans & Coasts,
and the University of Hawaii's Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
This cooperative study, using the Pisces submersibles operated
by NURP's Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, has aided in defining
the habitat characteristics that attract Hawaiian bottomfish,
i.e., a seafloor with numerous cavities that provide shelter and
attract their prey. The results from this study will be used by
the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources in determining
future management actions to conserve Hawaiian bottomfish stocks
(More Info).
C.
Nassau Grouper - Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus),
once among the most important fishery species in the Southeastern
U.S. and the Caribbean region, have been overfished in the U.S.
and are currently protected from fishing in state and federal
waters. For the past fifteen years, NURP has aimed at helping
managers protect or rebuild Nassau grouper stocks in the Caribbean
by conducting research that documents how the Nassau grouper interacts
with its landscape. In December 2003, NURP-supported research
played a major role in the Bahamas Department of Fisheries decision
to close, for the first time, the fishing season for Nassau grouper
in Bahamian waters. Closed seasons have also been declared for
periods in 2004 and 2005 when spawning aggregations are likely
to form. Ongoing Nassau grouper research in the Bahamas will evaluate
the effectiveness of the closed season (More
Info). Project Summary: 2000,
2001,
2002,
2003
III. Management Objective - Mitigating the Effects of Fishing
on EFH
Commercial fishing appears to be the most widespread form of human
disturbance to continental shelf and slope habitats. It has been
documented that bottom contact fishing gear (e.g., trawls, dredges,
gillnets, long lines, traps) can affect seafloor communities to
some degree. However, the relationship between fishing gear type
and habitat is only known for a few habitats and much is still to
be learned about this across the U.S. Furthermore, knowledge of
the recovery rates of seafloor habitats from fishing impacts is
needed for the range of habitats occurring in the U.S. EEZ. Such
information will allow resource managers to better predict the effects
of particular management options on EFH.
NURP-funded research assesses the effects of fishing on seafloor
habitat and has been used by resource managers, including
the regional Fishery Management Councils, to evaluate the effects
of fishing on benthic habitats and to develop management strategies.
A.
Oculina varicosa - The ivory tree coral, (Oculina varicosa),
a deepwater coral found off the east coast of Florida, forms dense
bushes that have built the Oculina banks over the past 8,000 years
and serve as spawning and nursery habitat for many species, including
economically important snappers, groupers, and amberjack. In 1994,
the established importance of the ivory tree coral contributed
to the designation of the Oculina Banks Habitat Area of Particular
Concern (OHAPC) as one of the first deepwater coral banks in the
world where trawling, traps, long-lining, and dredging were to
be banned. In 2001, NURP and NOAA Fisheries funded research that
documented the condition of the OHAPC from a manned submersible
that reached depths of 200 to 300 feet. These observations revealed,
for the first time, that an estimated 90% of the original Oculina
varicosa habitat within the OHAPC had been reduced to unconsolidated
rubble. Such knowledge has been used to evaluate and improve regulatory
actions in the Oculina Research Reserve, including new enforcement
efforts and indefinite continuation of the closure to bottom fishing
(More Info). Project
Summary: 2001,
2002,
2003
B.
Atlantic Cod - Georges Bank has historically supported a robust
population of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). During the early
1990s, precipitous declines in adult populations and lack of recruitment
impeded recovery of this greatly overfished population. NURP,
in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Geological Survey,
conducted ROV and camera sled observations of seafloor habitats
on the Northeast Peak of Georges Bank. These observations revealed
that while heavily fished sites had a bare gravel pavement, areas
that had been closed to fishing for a portion of time exhibited
partial recovery of the seafloor community, and areas closed to
fishing for a longer period of time on the Canadian side of the
Bank supported a highly diverse seafloor community. Such communities
have been shown to enhance survival of juvenile cod by providing
shelter from prey. Managers used these observations and data to
create the Juvenile Cod Habitat Area of Particular Concern (More
Info). Project Summary: 1998,
1999
C.
Tilefish - A significant tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps)
commercial fishery exists, particularly in waters off the Mid-Atlantic
coast. The potential effects of bottom trawling gear on the benthic
habitat of tilefish are being investigated in a NURP-funded study
on the continental shelf and upper slope of the New York Bight.
Using an ROV, the project has been assessing the impact of both
episodic and chronic trawling activity on the habitat structure
and community inhabitants of tilefish burrows and associated juvenile
nurseries. Because of impending regulations that could impose
significant bottom fishing gear restrictions at the shelf and
upper slopes of the New York Bight, this study could have significant
impact on future management actions. Project summary: 2001,
2002,
2003
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