The ecological condition of estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico

This document is intended for use by scientists and other citizens concerned with the ecological condition of estuaries, as well as by managers and lawmakers interested in the sustained use of estuaries for commercial and recreational purposes. It also addresses public concerns about the aesthetic quality of coastal areas vital to tourism and recreation. By producing this report on the ecological condition of estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico, we have taken one step in assessing the health of this environmental resource. We have produced an environmental report card to be used as a guide in the evaluation of management decisions and research directions. This report is organized in three parts: (1) an introduction that gives background information on the Gulf of Mexico, estuarine ecology, and the factors that impact estuaries in the gulf, (2) the main section on priority ecological indicators used to measure the condition of estuaries in the gulf and (3) an ecological report card that summarizes the data on ecological indicators and provides a rating of the condition of estuaries in each gulf state and for gulf estuaries overall. Many of the ratings were based on the percent area of estuaries in each state exhibiting degraded or adverse levels of an indicator.

Climate studies in the Long-Term Ecological Program

Since the inception of the LTER Program in 1980, climate has been studied at individual LTER sites and an LTER Climate Committee has been responsible for inter-site activities. At individual sites, climate studies support ecological research, emphasize inter-site heterogeneity, and often relate to other national monitoring and research programs. In inter-site work, the Climate Committee has produced protocols for meteorological observations, described and compared climates of the first 11 sites, and raised important issues regarding climate variability and ecosystem response.

Meteorological and hydrologic studies in the Alaskan Arctic in support of long-term ecological research

Long-term hydrologic studies in the Arctic simply do not exist. Although the Arctic has been identified as an area that is extremely sensitive to climate change, continuous scientific research has been limited to the past seven years. Earlier research was spotty, of short duration, and directed at only one or two hydrologic elements. Immediate future research needs to encompass all the major hydrologic elements, including winter processes, and needs to address the problem of scaling from small to larger areas in hydrologic models. Also, an international program of cooperation between northern countries is needed to build a greater scientific base for monitoring and identifying potential changes wrought by the climate.

Holistic fisheries management: combining macroecology, ecology, and evolutionary biology

Ecosystem-based management is one of many indispensable components of objective, holistic management of human impacts on nonhuman systems. By itself, however, ecosystem-based management carries the same risks we face with other forms of current management; holism requires more. Combining single-species and ecosystem approaches represents progress. However, it is now recognized that management also needs to be evosystem-based. In other words, management needs to account for all coevolutionary and evolutionary interactions among all species; otherwise we fall far short of holism. Fully holistic practices are quite distinct from the approaches to the management of fisheries that are applied today. In this paper, we show how macroecological patterns can guide management consistently, objectively, and holistically. We present one particular macroecological pattern with two applications. The first application is a case study of fisheries from the Baltic Sea involving historical data for two species; the second involves a sample of 44 species of primarily marine fish worldwide. In both cases we evaluate historical fishing rates and determine holistic/systemic sustainable single-species fishing rates to illustrate that conventional fisheries management leads to much more extensive and pervasive overfishing than currently realized; harvests are, on average, over twenty-fold too large to be fully sustainable. In general, our approach involves not only the sustainability of fisheries and related resources but also the sustainability of the ecosystems and evosystems in which they occur. Using macroecological patterns accomplishes four important goals: 1) Macroecology becomes one of the interdisciplinary components of management. 2) Sustainability becomes an option for harvests from populations of individual species, species groups, ecosystems, and the entire marine environment. 3) Policies and goals are reality-based, holistic, or fully systemic; they account for ecological as well as evolutionary factors and dynamics (including management itself). 4) Numerous management questions can be addressed.

Climatic impacts of the 1991-92 Western winter

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): The latest in a series of unusual winters affected the western United States during 1991-92. This report is primarily concerned with the 6 to 8 coolest months, with some consideration of the adjacent summer months. ... Much of the winter was characterized by "split flow" west of North America. As it approached the West Coast, the jet stream frequently diverged into a northern branch toward Panhandle Alaska and a second southern branch that dived south along the California coast and then eastward along the US-Mexican border. Repeatedly, storms approaching the West Coast were stretched north-to-south, losing their organization in the process.

An ecological characterization of Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, U.S. Virgin Islands

Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve (hereafter, SARI or the park) was created in 1992 to preserve, protect, and interpret nationally significant natural, historical, and cultural resources (United States Congress 1992). The diverse ecosystem within it includes a large mangrove forest, a submarine canyon, coral reefs, seagrass beds, coastal forests, and many other natural and developed landscape elements. These ecosystem components are, in turn, utilized by a great diversity of flora and fauna. A comprehensive spatial inventory of these ecosystems is required for successful management. To meet this need, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Biogeography Program, in consultation with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Government of the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (VIDPNR), conducted an ecological characterization. The characterization consists of three complementary components: a text report, digital habitat maps, and a collection of historical aerial photographs. This ecological characterization provides managers with a suite of tools that, when coupled with the excellent pre-existing body of work on SARI resources, enables improved research and monitoring activities within the park (see Appendix F for a list of data products).

A pilot survey of deepwater coral/sponge assemblages and their susceptibility to fishing/harvest impacts at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS). Cruise report for NOAA Ship McARTHUR II Cruise AR-04-04: Leg 2 (June 1-12, 2004)

The offshore shelf and canyon habitats of the OCNMS are areas of high primary productivity and biodiversity that support extensive groundfish fisheries. Recent acoustic surveys conducted in these waters have indicated the presence of hard-bottom substrates believed to harbor unique deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages. Such fauna are often associated with shallow tropical waters, however an increasing number of studies around the world have recorded them in deeper, cold-water habitats in both northern and southern latitudes. These habitats are of tremendous value as sites of recruitment for commercially important fishes. Yet, ironically, studies have shown how the gear used in offshore demersal fishing, as well as other commercial operations on the seafloor, can cause severe physical disturbances to resident benthic fauna. Due to their exposed structure, slow growth and recruitment rates, and long life spans, deep-sea corals and sponges may be especially vulnerable to such disturbances, requiring very long periods to recover. Potential effects of fishing and other commercial operations in such critical habitats, and the need to define appropriate strategies for the protection of these resources, have been identified as a high-priority management issue for the sanctuary.

Literature review for a resource characterization of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge

Through research aimed at understanding the coastal environment, surveys designed to help manage the resource, and national programs to monitor environmental condition, we see a picture of a dynamic ecosystem that is Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR). Currently, there are efforts underway to protect threatened species; monitor fish populations; and quantify the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of this environment. The potential impacts to this system are just now being understood as ecological responses to human modification are observed and explained. As a starting point, this document compiles existing information about Cape Romain NWR in five topic areas and addresses the potential impacts to the Refuge. This review is intended to serve as a stepping stone to developing a research agenda in support of management of the Refuge. There are various sources of information on which to build a framework for monitoring conditions and detecting change to this environment. For instance, information on basic ecological function in estuarine environments has evolved over several decades. Long-term surveys of Southeast fisheries exist, as well as shellfish and sediment contaminants data from estuaries. Environmental monitoring and biological surveys at the Refuge continue. Recently, studies that examine the impacts to similar coastal habitats have been undertaken. This document puts past studies and ongoing work in context for Refuge managers and researchers. This report recommends that the next phase of this resource characterization focus on: • compiling relevant tabular and spatial data, as identified here, into a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework • assessing the abundance and diversity of fisheries utilizing CRNWR • delineating additional data layers, such as intertidal habitats and subtidal clam beds, from low-level aerial photography, hard copy maps, and other sources • continued inventories of plant and animal species dependent on the Refuge • monitoring physical and chemical environmental parameters using the methodology employed at National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and other coastal sites, where appropriate • further definition of the potential risks to the Refuge and preparing responses to likely impacts.

Fisheries databases for assessing habitat functions of Cape Romain NWR

The US Fish and Wildlife Service Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR) and the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR) at Charleston are interested in assessing the status of our coastal resources in light of increased coastal development and recreational use. Through an Interagency Agreement (FWS #1448-40181-00-H-001), an ecological characterization was undertaken to describe the status of and potential impacts to resources at CRNWR. This report describes historic fisheries-independent or non-commercial data relevant to CRNWR that can be used to evaluate the role of the Refuge as habitat for nearshore and offshore fish species. The purpose of this document is two-fold, first to give resource managers an understanding of fisheries data that have been collected over the years and, second, to illustrate how these data can be applied to address specific management issues. This report provides an overview of historic fisheries data collected along the southeast coast, as well as basic summaries of that data relevant to CRNWR, indicating how these data can be used to address specific questions of interest to Refuge managers and biologists.

Survey and impact assessment of derelict fish traps in St. Thomas and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Since 2001, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s (CCMA) Biogeography Branch (BB) has been working with federal and territorial partners to characterize, monitor, and assess the status of the marine environment across the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). At the request of the St. Thomas Fisherman’s Association (STFA) and NOAA Marine Debris Program, CCMA BB developed new partnerships and novel technologies to scientifically assess the threat from derelict fish traps (DFTs). Traps are the predominant gear used for finfish and lobster harvesting in St. Thomas and St. John. Natural phenomena (ground swells, hurricanes) and increasing competition for space by numerous user groups have generated concern about increasing trap loss and the possible ecological, as well as economic, ramifications. Prior to this study, there was a general lack of knowledge regarding derelict fish traps in the Caribbean. No spatially explicit information existed regarding fishing effort, abundance and distribution of derelict traps, the rate at which active traps become derelict, or areas that are prone to dereliction. Furthermore, there was only limited information regarding the impacts of derelict traps on natural resources including ghost fishing. This research identified two groups of fishing communities in the region: commercial fishing that is most active in deeper waters (30 m and greater) and an unknown number of unlicensed subsistence and or commercial fishers that fish closer to shore in shallower waters (30 m and less). In the commercial fishery there are an estimated 6,500 active traps (fish and lobster combined). Of those traps, nearly 8% (514) were reported lost during the 2008-2010 period. Causes of loss/dereliction include: movement of the traps or loss of trap markers due to entanglement of lines by passing vessels; theft; severe weather events (storms, large ground swells); intentional disposal by fishermen; traps becoming caught on various bottom structures (natural substrates, wrecks, etc.); and human error.

Characterization of Hypoxia: Topic I Report for the Integrated Assessment on Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico

Nutrient overenrichment from human activities is one of the major stresses affecting coastal ecosystems. There is increasing concern in many areas around the world that an oversupply of nutrients from multiple sources is having pervasive ecological effects on shallow coastal and estuarine areas. These effects include reduced light penetration, loss of aquatic habitat, harmfid algal blooms, a decrease in dissolved oxygen (or hypoxia), and impacts on living resources. The largest zone of oxygen-depleted coastal waters in the United States, and the entire western Atlantic Ocean, is found in the northern Gulf of Mexico on the Louisiana-Texas continental shelf. This zone is influenced by the freshwater discharge and nutrient flux of the Mississippi River system. This report describes the seasonal, interannual, and long-term variability in hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico and its relationship to nutrient loading. It also documents the relative roles of natural and human-induced factors in determining the size and duration of the hypoxic zone.

Forestry Impacts on Freshwater Habitat of Anadromous Salmonids in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska: requirements for protection and restoration

This synthesis presents a science overview of the major forest management Issues involved in the recovery of anadromous salmonids affected by timber harvest in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The issues involve the components of ecosystem-based watershed management and how best to implement them, including how to: Design buffer zones to protect fish habitat while enabling economic timber production; Implement effective Best Management Practices (BMPs) to prevent nonpoint-source pollution; Develop watershed-level procedures across property boundaries to prevent cumulative impacts; Develop restoration procedures to contribute to recovery of ecosystem processes; and Enlist support of private landowners in watershed planning, protection, and restoration. Buffer zones, BMPs, cumulative impact prevention, and restoration are essential elements of what must be a comprehensive approach to habitat protection and restoration applied at the watershed level within a larger context of resource concerns in the river basin, species status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and regional environmental and economic issues (Fig. ES. 1). This synthesis 1) reviews salmonid habitat requirements and potential effects of logging; 2) describes the technical foundation of forest practices and restoration; 3) analyzes current federal and non-federal forest practices; and 4) recommends required elements of comprehensive watershed management for recovery of anadromous salmonids.

Methodologies and mechanisms for management of cumulative coastal environmental impacts. Part I: Synthesis, with annotated bibliography; Part II: Development and application of a cumulative impacts assessment protocol

What Are ~umulat iveE ffects? Coastal managers now recognize that many of the most serious resource degradation problems have built up gradually as the combined outcome of numerous actions and choices which alone may have had relatively minor impacts. For example, alteration of essential habitat through wetland loss, degradation of water quality from nonpoint source pollution, and changes in salinity of estuarine waters from water diversion projects can be attributed to numerous small actions and choices. These incremental losses have broad spatial and temporal dimensions, resulting in the gradual alteration of structure and functioning of biophysical systems. In the environmental management field, the term "cumulative effects" is generally used to describe this phenomenon of changes in the environment that result from numerous, small-scale alterations.

Deepwater Horizon oil spill: assessment of potential impacts on the deep soft-bottom benthos; interim data summary report

A study was initiated in May 2011, under the direction of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Deepwater Benthic Communities Technical Working Group (NRDA Deep Benthic TWG), to assess potential impacts of the DWH oil spill on sediments and resident benthic fauna in deepwater (> 200 meters) areas of the Gulf. Key objectives of the study were to complete the analysis of samples from 65 priority stations sampled in September-October 2010 on two DWH Response cruises (Gyre and Ocean Veritas) and from 38 long-term monitoring sites (including a subset of 35 of the original 65) sampled on a follow-up NRDA cruise in May-June 2011. The present progress report provides a brief summary of results from the initial processing of samples from fall 2010 priority sites (plus three additional historical sites). Data on key macrofaunal, meiofaunal, and abiotic environmental variables are presented for each of these samples and additional maps are included to depict spatial patterns in these variables throughout the study region. The near-field zone within about 3 km of the wellhead, where many of the stations showed evidence of impaired benthic condition (e.g. low taxa richness, high nematode/harpacticoid-copepod ratios), also is an area that contained some of the highest concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (total PAHs), and barium in sediments (as possible indicators of DWH discharges). There were similar co-occurrences at other sites outside this zone, especially to the southwest of the wellhead out to about 15 km. However, there also were exceptions to this pattern, for example at several farther-field sites in deeper-slope and canyon locations where there was low benthic species richness but no evidence of exposure to DWH discharges. Such cases are consistent with historical patterns of benthic distributions in relation to natural controlling factors such as depth, position within canyons, and availability of organic matter derived from surface-water primary production.