Technical and mapping support for marine spatial planning: Final report

Washington depends on a healthy coastal and marine ecosystem to maintain a thriving economy and vibrant communities. These ecosystems support critical habitats for wildlife and a growing number of often competing ocean activities, such as fishing, transportation, aquaculture, recreation, and energy production. Planners, policy makers and resource managers are being challenged to sustainably balance ocean uses, and environmental conservation in a finite space and with limited information. This balancing act can be supported by spatial planning. Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a planning process that enables integrated, forward looking, and consistent decision making on the human uses of the oceans and coasts. It can improve marine resource management by planning for human uses in locations that reduce conflict, increase certainty, and support a balance among social, economic, and ecological benefits we receive from ocean resources. In March 2010, the Washington state legislature enacted a marine spatial planning law (RCW §43.372) to address resource use conflicts in Washington waters. In 2011, a report to the legislature and a workshop on human use data provided guidance for the marine spatial planning process. The report outlines a set of recommendations for the State to effectively undertake marine spatial planning and this work plan will support some of these recommendations, such as: federal integration, regional coordination, developing mechanisms to integrate scientific and technical expertise, developing data standards, and accessing and sharing spatial data. In 2012 the Governor amended the existing law to focus funding on mapping and ecosystem assessments for Washington’s Pacific coast and the legislature provided $2.1 million in funds to begin marine spatial planning off Washington’s coast. The funds are appropriated through the Washington Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Stewardship Account with coordination among the State Ocean Caucus, the four Coastal Treaty Tribes, four coastal Marine Resource Committees and the newly formed stakeholder body, the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council.

Analyzing and mapping fish assemblages off central California, USA

This study describes fish assemblages and their spatial patterns off the coast of California from Point Arena to Point Sal, by combining the results of the multivariate analyses of several fisheries datasets with a geographic information system. In order to provide comprehensive spatial coverage for the areas of inshore, continental shelf, and continental slope, three fisheries datasets were analyzed: 1) Inshore: the California Department of Fish and Game dataset of fishery-dependent commercial passenger fishing vessel trips that targeted rockfish; 2) Continental Shelf: the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) fishery-independent bottom trawls; and 3) Continental Slope: the NMFS fishery-independent bottom trawls on the continental slope. One-hundred seven species were analyzed. These species represented those captured in at least 5% of the fishing trips or trawls in at least one of the three data sets. We analyzed each of the three datasets separately, and the three sets of results were combined to define 28 species assemblages and 23 site groups. A species assemblage consisted of species caught together, whereas a site group consisted of fishing trips or trawl locations that tended to have the same species assemblages. At the scale of these datasets, 97% of all site groups were significantly segregated by depth.

Using Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Technologies to Detect and Map Two Aquatic Macrophytes

This paper describes the light reflectance characteristics ofwaterhyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes (Mort.) Solms] and hydrilla [Hydrilla verticillata (L.F.) Royle] and the application of airborned videography with global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies for distinguishing and mapping the distribution of these two aquatic weeds in waterways of southern Texas. Field reflectance measurements made at several locations showed that waterhyacinth generally had higher near-infrared (NIR) reflectance than associated plant species and water. Hydrilla had lower NIR reflectance than associated plant species and higher NIR reflectance than water. Reflectance measurements made on hydrilla plants submerged below the water surface had similar spectral characteristics to water. Waterhyacinth and hydrilla could be distinguished in color-infrared (CIR) video imagery where they had bright orange-red and reddish-brown image responses, respectively. Computer analysis of the imagery showed that waterhyacinth and hydrilla infestaions could be quantified. An accuracy assessment performed on the classified image showed an overall accuracy of 87.7%. Integration of the GPS with the video imagery permitted latitude/longitude coordinates of waterhyacinth and hydrilla infestation to be recorded on each image. A portion of the Rio Grande River in extreme southern Texas was flown with the video system to detect waterhyacinth and hydrilla infestaions. The GPS coordinates on the CIR video scenes depicting waterhyacinth and hydrilla infestations were entered into a GIS to map the distribution of these two noxious weeds in the Rio Grande River.

Seagrass and Aquatic Habitat Assessment Workshop Summary

Seagrass communities are among the richest and most productive, photoautotrophic coastal systems in the world. They protect and improve water quality, provide shoreline stabilization, and are important habitats for an array of fish, birds, and other wildlife. Hence, much can be gained by protecting and restoring these important living resources. Human’s impact on these vital resources from population growth, pollution, and physical damage from boating and other activities can disrupt the growth of these seagrasses communities and have devastating effects on their health and vitality. Inventory and monitoring are required to determine the dynamics of seagrasses and devise better protection and restoration for these rich resources. The purpose of this seagrass workshop, sponsored by NOAA’s CSC , USGS, and FMRI, was to move toward greater objectivity and accuracy in seagrass mapping and monitoring. This workshop helped foster interaction and communication among seagrass professionals. In order to begin the process of determining the best uniform mapping process for the biological research community. Increasing such awareness among the seagrass and management communities, it is hoped that an improved understanding of the monitoring and mapping process will lead to more effective and efficient preservation os submerged aquatic vegetation. (PDF contains 20 pages)

The South Atlantic Alliance: A southeastern U.S. state Governors initiative to address opportunities and challenges embodied in the region's coastal and ocean domain

The pressures placed on the natural, environmental, economic, and cultural sectors from continued growth, population shifts, weather and climate, and environmental quality are increasing exponentially in the southeastern U.S. region. Our growing understanding of the relationship of humans with the marine environment is leading us to explore new ecosystem-based approaches to coastal management, marine resources planning, and coastal adaptation that engages multiple state jurisdictions. The urgency of the situation calls for coordinated regional actions by the states, in conjunction with supporting partners and leveraging a diversity of resources, to address critical issues in sustaining our coastal and ocean ecosystems and enhancing the quality of life of our citizens. The South Atlantic Alliance (www.southatlanticalliance.org) was formally established on October 19, 2009 to “implement science-based policies and solutions that enhance and protect the value of coastal and ocean resources of the southeastern United States which support the region's culture and economy now and for future generations.” The Alliance, which includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, will provide a regional mechanism for collaborating, coordinating, and sharing information in support of resource sustainability; improved regional alignment; cooperative planning and leveraging of resources; integrated research, observations, and mapping; increased awareness of the challenges facing the South Atlantic region; and inclusiveness and integration at all levels. Although I am preparing and presenting this overview of the South Atlantic Alliance and its current status, there are a host of representatives from agencies within the four states, universities, NGOs, and ongoing southeastern regional ocean and coastal programs that are contributing significant time, expertise, and energy to the success of the Alliance; information presented herein and to be presented in my oral presentation was generated by the collaborative efforts of these professionals. I also wish to acknowledge the wisdom and foresight of the Governors of the four states in establishing this exciting regional ocean partnership. (PDF contains 4 pages)