Cruise Report: Summer 2008 Ecological Assessment of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER NF-08-09-CCEHBR (June 14-June 21, 2008)

Summary: This cruise report is a summary of a field survey conducted within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS), located between Cape Cod and Cape Ann at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay. The survey was conducted June 14 – June 21, 2008 on NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER Cruise NF-08-09-CCEHBR. Multiple indicators of ecological condition and human dimensions were sampled synoptically at each of 30 stations throughout SBNMS using a random probabilistic sampling design. Samples were collected for the analysis of benthic community structure and composition; concentrations of chemical contaminants (metals, pesticides, PAHs, PCBs, PBDEs) in sediments and target demersal biota; nutrient and chlorophyll levels in the water column; and other basic habitat characteristics such as depth, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, sediment grain size, and organic carbon content. In addition to the fish samples that were collected for analysis of chemical contaminants relative to human-health consumption limits, other human-dimension indicators were sampled as well including presence or absence of fishing gear, vessels, surface trash, marine mammals, and noxious sediment odors. The overall purpose of the survey was to collect data to assess the status of ecosystem condition and potential stressor impacts throughout SBNMS, based on these various indicators and corresponding management thresholds, and to provide this information as a baseline for determining how such conditions may be changing with time. While sample analysis is still ongoing a few preliminary results and observations are reported here. A final report will be completed once all data have been processed. The results are anticipated to be of value in supporting goals of the SBNMS and National Marine Sanctuary Program aimed at the characterization, protection, and management of sanctuary resources (pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuary Reauthorization Act) as well as a new priority of NCCOS and NOAA to apply Ecosystem Based approaches to the Management of coastal resources (EBM) through Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) conducted in various coastal regions of the U.S. including the Northeast Atlantic continental shelf. This was a multi-disciplinary partnership effort made possible by scientists from the following organizations:  NOAA, National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR), Charleston, SC.  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Atlantic Ecology Division (GED), Narragansett, RI.  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Gulf Ecology Division (GED), Gulf Breeze, FL.  U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Wetlands Research Center, Gulf Breeze Project Office, Gulf Breeze, FL.  NOAA, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), NOAA ship Nancy Foster. (31pp) (PDF contains 58 pages)

A Biogeographic Assessment off North/Central California: To Support the Joint Management Plan Review for Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries: Phase I - Marine Fishes, Birds and Mammals.

In the spring of 2001, NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) and National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), launched a 24-month effort to define and assess biogeographic patterns of selected marine species found within and adjacent to the boundaries of three west coast National Marine Sanctuaries. These sanctuaries, Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones, and Cordell Bank are conducting a joint review process to update sanctuary management plans. The management plans for these sanctuaries have not been updated for over ten years and the status of the natural resources and their management issues in and around the sanctuaries may have changed. In addition, significant accomplishments in research and resource assessments have been made within the region. Thus, it is important to incorporate new and expanding knowledge into the revised management plans for these Sanctuaries.

Long-Term Monitoring of Ecological Conditions In Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary: Comparison of soft-bottom benthic assemblages and contaminant levels in sediments and biota in Spring 2000 and 2005

As part of an ongoing program of benthic sampling and related assessments of sediment quality at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) off the coast of Georgia, a survey of soft-bottom benthic habitats was conducted in spring 2005 to characterize condition of macroinfaunal assemblages and levels of chemical contaminants in sediments and biota relative to a baseline survey carried out in spring 2000. Distribution and abundance of macrobenthos were related foremost to sediment type (median particle size, % gravel), which in turn varied according to bottom-habitat mesoscale features (e.g., association with live bottom versus flat or rippled sand areas). Overall abundance and diversity of soft-bottom benthic communities were similar between the two years, though dominance patterns and relative abundances of component species were less repeatable. Seasonal summer pulses of a few taxa (e.g., the bivalve Ervilia sp. A) observed in 2000 were not observed in 2005. Concentrations of chemical contaminants in sediments and biota, though detectable in both years, were consistently at low, background levels and no exceedances of sediment probable bioeffect levels or FDA action levels for edible fish or shellfish were observed. Near-bottom dissolved oxygen levels and organic-matter content of sediments also have remained within normal ranges. Highly diverse benthic assemblages were found in both years, supporting the premise that GRNMS serves as an important reservoir of marine biodiversity. A total of 353 taxa (219 identified to species) were collected during the spring 2005 survey. Cumulatively, 588 taxa (371 identified to species) have been recorded in the sanctuary from surveys in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2005. Species Accumulation Curves indicate that the theoretical maximum should be in excess of 600 species. Results of this study will be of value in advancing strategic science and management goals for GRNMS, including characterization and long-term monitoring of sanctuary resources and processes, as well as supporting evolving interests in ecosystem-based management of the surrounding South Atlantic Bight (SAB) ecosystem. (PDF contains 46 pages)

1979 Ecological study of fishes and the water quality characteristics of Florida Bay, Everglades National Park, Florida

Fish collections under varying ecological conditions were made by trawling and seining, monthly and quarterly in depths of <1 m to depths of 3 m of the Florida Bay portion of Everglades National Park, Florida. From May 1973 through September 1976, a total of 182,530 fishes representing 128 species and 50 families were taken at 27 stations. An additional 21 species were identified from sportfish-creel surveys and supplemental observations. Most of the species collected were juveniles of species that occur as adults in the Florida Bay creel census survey, or were small species that were seasonal residents. Marked temporal and spatial abundance of the catches was observed. The greatest numbers and biomass of the fishes occurred in the wet season (summer/fall), whereas lowest numbers and biomass appeared during the dry season (winter/spring) The greatest abundance and diversity of fishes was found in western Florida Bay followed by eastern and central Bay regions respectively. Overall, five species comprised 75% of the numerical total while eleven species made up 75% of the total biomass. Collections were dominated numerically by anchovies (Engraulidae), especially Anchoa mitchilli, in western Florida Bay. Mojarras (Gerridae), mostly silver jenny Eucinostomus gula, and porgies (Sparidae), especially pinfish Lagodon rhomboides, dominated numerically in central and eastern portions of the Bay, respectively. Except for salinity, other measured physico-chemical parameters (water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity) showed no variation beyond ranges considered normal for shallow, tropical marine environments. Salinity varied from 0 to 66 ppt near the mainland. Nearshore hypersaline conditions (>45 ppt) persisted for nearly 2 years during the 1974 - 1975 severe drought period. Significant reductions in fish abundance/diversity were observed in relation to hypersaline conditions. Bay-wide macrobenthic communities were mapped (presence/absence) and were primarily comprised of turtle grass (Thalassia), shoalgrass [(Diplanthera = (Halodule)], and/or green algae Penicillus. Seasonal dieoff of seagrasses was observed in north-central Florida Bay. (PDF contains 107 pages)

Soft-bottom benthic assemblages and levels of contaminants in sediments and biota at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary and nearby shelf waters off the coast of Georgia (2000 and 2001)

A series of studies was initiated to assess the condition of benthic macroinfauna and chemical contaminant levels in sediments and biota of the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) and nearby shelf waters off the coast of Georgia. Four key objectives of the research are (1) to document existing environmental conditions within the sanctuary in order to provide a quantitative benchmark for tracking any future changes due to either natural or human disturbances; (2) to examine broader cross-shelf spatial patterns in benthic fauna and sediment contaminant concentrations and to identify potential controlling factors associated with the observed patterns; (3) to assess any between-year temporal variability in benthic fauna; and (4) to evaluate the importance of benthic fauna as prey for higher trophic levels. Such questions are being addressed to help fulfill long-term science and management goals of the GRNMS. However, it is anticipated that the information will be of additional value in broadening our understanding of the surrounding South Atlantic Bight (SAB) ecosystem and in bringing the knowledge to bear on related resourcemanagement issues of the region. We have begun to address the first three of these objectives with data from samples collected in spring 2000 at stations within GRNMS, and in spring 2001 at stations within the sanctuary and along three cross-shelf transects extending from the mouths of Sapelo, Doboy, and Altamaha Sounds out to sanctuary depths (about 17-20 m). This report provides a description of baseline conditions within the sanctuary, based on results of the spring 2000 survey (Section II), and uses data from both 2000 and 2001 to examine overall spatial and temporal patterns in biological and chemical variables within the sanctuary and surrounding inner-shelf environment (Section III). (PDF contains 65 pages)

Egg production, spawning biomass and factors influencing recruitment of striped bass in the Potomac River and the upper Chesapeake Bay

Ichthyoplankton surveys in the Potomac River and Upper Chesapeake Bay were carried out in 1989 to estimate striped bass egg productions, age specific spawning biomasses of adult females, cohort-specific larval growth and mortality rates, and hatch dates of 8.0 mm larvae survivors. Possible consequences to recruitment of environmental factors were examined in 1989 and for data collected in 1987-1988. The temporal and spatial occurrences and distributions of eggs and larvae In both spawning areas are described and discussed in relation to environmental factors (temperature, rainfall, river discharge, pH, conductivity, zooplankton abundances) (PDF contains 319 pages)

Sediment Quality in Puget Sound Year 3 - Southern Puget Sound

As a component of a three-year cooperative effort of the Washington State Department of Ecology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, surficial sediment samples from 100 locations in southern Puget Sound were collected in 1999 to determine their relative quality based on measures of toxicity, chemical contamination, and benthic infaunal assemblage structure. The survey encompassed an area of approximately 858 km2, ranging from East and Colvos Passages south to Oakland Bay, and including Hood Canal. Toxic responses were most severe in some of the industrialized waterways of Tacoma’s Commencement Bay. Other industrialized harbors in which sediments induced toxic responses on smaller scales included the Port of Olympia, Oakland Bay at Shelton, Gig Harbor, Port Ludlow, and Port Gamble. Based on the methods selected for this survey, the spatial extent of toxicity for the southern Puget Sound survey area was 0% of the total survey area for amphipod survival, 5.7% for urchin fertilization, 0.2% for microbial bioluminescence, and 5- 38% with the cytochrome P450 HRGS assay. Measurements of trace metals, PAHs, PCBs, chlorinated pesticides, other organic chemicals, and other characteristics of the sediments, indicated that 20 of the 100 samples collected had one or more chemical concentrations that exceeded applicable, effects-based sediment guidelines and/or Washington State standards. Chemical contamination was highest in eight samples collected in or near the industrialized waterways of Commencement Bay. Samples from the Thea Foss and Middle Waterways were primarily contaminated with a mixture of PAHs and trace metals, whereas those from Hylebos Waterway were contaminated with chlorinated organic hydrocarbons. The remaining 12 samples with elevated chemical concentrations primarily had high levels of other chemicals, including bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, benzoic acid, benzyl alcohol, and phenol. The characteristics of benthic infaunal assemblages in south Puget Sound differed considerably among locations and habitat types throughout the study area. In general, many of the small embayments and inlets throughout the study area had infaunal assemblages with relatively low total abundance, taxa richness, evenness, and dominance values, although total abundance values were very high in some cases, typically due to high abundance of one organism such as the polychaete Aphelochaeta sp. N1. The majority of the samples collected from passages, outer embayments, and larger bodies of water tended to have infaunal assemblages with higher total abundance, taxa richness, evenness, and dominance values. Two samples collected in the Port of Olympia near a superfund cleanup site had no living organisms in them. A weight-of-evidence approach used to simultaneously examine all three “sediment quality triad” parameters, identified 11 stations (representing 4.4 km2, 0.5% of the total study area) with sediment toxicity, chemical contamination, and altered benthos (i.e., degraded sediment quality), 36 stations (493.5 km2, 57.5% total study area) with no toxicity or chemical contamination (i.e., high sediment quality), 35 stations (274.1 km2, 32.0% total study area) with one impaired sediment triad parameter (i.e., intermediate/high sediment quality), and 18 stations (85.7km2, 10.0% total study area) with two impaired sediment parameters (i.e., intermediate/degraded quality sediments). Generally, upon comparison, the number of stations with degraded sediments based upon the sediment quality triad of data was slightly greater in the central Puget Sound than in the northern and southern Puget Sound study areas, with the percent of the total study area degraded in each region decreasing from central to north to south (2.8, 1.3 and 0.5%, respectively). Overall, the sediments collected in Puget Sound during the combined 1997-1999 surveys were among the least contaminated relative to other marine bays and estuaries studied by NOAA using equivalent methods. (PDF contains 351 pages)

Biodiversity study of Southern Biscayne Bay and Card Sound 1968-1973

A multi-disciplinary investigation was conducted in southern Biscayne Bay and Card Sound from 1968 to 1973. The purpose of the investigation was to conduct an integrated study of the ecology of southern Biscayne Bay with special emphasis on the effects of the heated effluent from the Turkey Point fossil fuel power plant, and to predict the impact of additional effluent from the planned conversion of the plant to nuclear fuel. The results of this investigation have been discussed in numerous publications. This report contains the unpublished biology data that resulted from the investigation. (PDF contains 44 pages)

Results of a fish health survey of North Biscayne Bay, June 1976-June 1977

Fish were collected weekly in Biscayne Bay using a monofilament gill net set from a small skiff during 20-30 minute intervals. Although weekly sampling took place for 2.5 years, only the data from samples collected from June 1976 to June 1977 were used in this document. Abnormal external conditions of fins and body were observed on each fish and recorded. Fish were returned immediately to their habitats. Fish collected in the time period for this study numbered 3,765 and included 32 species. Of these, 16 species, totaling 3,556 fish, were caught in sufficient numbers (20 or more) to warrant data analysis. Only 3 of the 16 species could be considered relatively unafflicted: Aetobatus narinari (spotted eagle ray), Diodon hystrix (porcupinefish), and Selene vomer (lookdown). More than 80% of the examined specimens of these three species were unaffected. Less than 20% of the specimens of Diapterus plumieri (striped mojarra), Micropogonias undulatus (Atlantic croaker), and Pogonias cromis (black drum) displayed normal conditions. The three most afflicted species were Diapterus plumieri, striped mojarra; Micropogonias undulatus, Atlantic croaker; and Pogonias cromis, black drum. Only 7, 3, and 7% respectively showed no external evidence of disease. Data described in this document were originally tabulated in the mid-1970s, remained unpublished, and are no longer available. This document was based on archived unpublished text, a data summary table, and figures. Most of the text and cited references were the ones used in the original manuscript and no attempt was made to update them. (PDF contains 44 pages)

Studies of the effects of industrial pollution in the lower Patapsco river area: 1. Curtis Bay Region 1941

Industrial effluents in the lower Patapsco area, which constitutes the navigable portion of the river and includes Baltimore Harbor, are many and include waste acid, distillery waters, tannery wastes and copper as (ferrous sulphate) from pigment and steel industries. (PDF contains 22 pages (2 on 1)

A schematic analysis and discussion of species taken by otter trawl net by the research vessel Orion from July, 1965 to June 1966 in the Chesapeake Bay and major tributaries

From July 1965 to June 1964 the Natural Resources Institute's Research Vessel ORION took 16 minute tows with a forty (40) foot otter trawl net at 38 selected locations in Chesapeake Bay from the south of the Potomac River to Turkey Point at the head of the Bay and including some tributaries. Shallow and deep hauls were taken at most stations with depths ranging from 5 to 140 feet. A schematic summary of the 54 different species caught was compared with "Fishes of the Chesapeake Bay" by S. F. Hildebrand and W. C. Schroeder. Sixteen species including five not contained in the above references were selected for discussion. (PDF contains 21 pages)

Impact of the commercial fishery on the population of bait shrimp (Penaeus spp.) in Biscayne Bay, 1986

Monthly population size of bait shrimp in the Bay was estimated from December 1984 to July 1985. Growth rates for male and female P. duorarum showed that pink shrimp exhibit a mean residence time in the nursery area (Biscayne Bay) of approximately 21 weeks. Monthly mortality rates were determined for each sex of pink shrimp. It was estimated that 23% and 26% of the male and female monthly population size, respectively, was absorbed by both the fishery and ecosystem monthly. Monthly proportion of the standing stock expected to die exclusively through fishing was 6.5% and 6.0% for males and females respectively. Estimates of emigration rates showed that approximately 4.0% of the population was lost from the Bay system each month. This surplus production was about 50% of the average monthly catch by the fleet. Fishing mortality represents only 8 - 9% of the losses to the shrimp population. The biggest source of loss is emigration, suggesting that most shrimp beyond the size at recruitment (to the fishery) are not utilized for food while in the Bay. Thus, it appears that the direct impact of the fishery on the bait shrimp population is relatively small. (PDF contains 46 pages)

Benthic sampling program in Biscayne Bay, 1981-1982

The Biscayne Bay Benthic Sampling Program was divided into two phases. In Phase I, sixty sampling stations were established in Biscayne Bay (including Dumfoundling Bay and Card Sound) representing diverse habitats. The stations were visited in the wet season (late fall of 1981) and in the dry season (midwinter of 1982). At each station certain abiotic conditions were measured or estimated. These included depth, sources of freshwater inflow and pollution, bottom characteristics, current direction and speed, surface and bottom temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, and water clarity was estimated with a secchi disk. Seagrass blades and macroalgae were counted in a 0.1-m2 grid placed so as to best represent the bottom community within a 50-foot radius. Underwater 35-mm photographs were made of the bottom using flash apparatus. Benthic samples were collected using a petite Ponar dredge. These samples were washed through a 5-mm mesh screen, fixed in formalin in the field, and later sorted and identified by experts to a pre-agreed taxonomic level. During the wet season sampling period, a nonquantitative one-meter wide trawl was made of the epibenthic community. These samples were also washed, fixed, sorted and identified. During the dry season sampling period, sediment cores were collected at each station not located on bare rock. These cores were analyzed for sediment size and organic composition by personnel of the University of Miami. Data resulting from the sampling were entered into a computer. These data were subjected to cluster analyses, Shannon-Weaver diversity analysis, multiple regression analysis of variance and covariance, and factor analysis. In Phase II of the program, fifteen stations were selected from among the sixty of Phase I. These stations were sampled quarterly. At each quarter, five Petite Ponar dredge samples were collected from each station. As in Phase I, observations and measurements, including seagrass blade counts, were made at each station. In Phase II, polychaete specimens collected were given to a separate contractor for analysis to the species level. These analyses included mean, standard deviation, coefficient of dispersion, percent of total, and numeric rank for each organism in each station as well as number of species, Shannon-Weaver taxa diversity, and dominance (the compliment of Simpson's Index) for each station. Multiple regression analysis of variance and covariance, and factor analysis were applied to the data to determine effect of abiotic factors measured at each station. (PDF contains 96 pages)

A comparison of animal abundance and distribution in similar habitats in Rookery Bay, Marco Island and Fakahatchee on the southwest coast of Florida, 1971 - 1972

The three areas in Rookery Bay, near Marco Island and Fakahatchee Bay were sampled from July 1971 through July 1972, and 1,006,640 individual animals were collected, of which the majority (55%) came from the Marco area. The large disparity between the catches at Marco and the remaining study areas was due mainly to the appearance of high numbers of species of polychaetes and echinoderms that were of very minor importance or absent from the catches in Rookery Bay and Fakahatchee Bay. When only the major classes of animals in the catch are considered (i.e., crustaceans, fish and mollusks) the total counts for Fakahatchee (298,830) and Marco (275,075) are quite comparable but both exceed Rookery Bay (119,388) by a considerable margin. The effects of the red tide outbreak in the summer of 1971 were apparently restricted to the Rookery Bay Sanctuary and may account for some of the observed differences. For the purposes of making controlled comparisons between the study areas, three common habitats were selected in each area so that a mud bottom habitat, a sand-shell bottom habitat and a vegetated bottom habitat were located in each of the study areas. Total catches by habitat types for crustaceans, fish and mollusks and certain of the more abundant species show clearly the overwhelming importance of the vegetated bottom as a habitat for animals. By habitat the vegetated areas had the most "indicator species" with five, the mud habitat was next with three and the sand-shell habitat third with two. Thus the vegetated habitat would be the best choice if a single habitat were to be used to detect environmental changes between study areas. (PDF contains 137 pages)

Magnitude and extent of sediment toxicity in selected estuaries of South Carolina and Georgia

Toxic chemicals can enter the marine environment through numerous routes: stormwater runoff, industrial point source discharges, municipal wastewater discharges, atmospheric deposition, accidental spills, illegal dumping, pesticide applications and agricultural practices. Once they enter a receiving system, toxicants often become bound to suspended particles and increase in density sufficiently to sink to the bottom. Sediments are one of the major repositories of contaminants in aquatic envronments. Furthermore, if they become sufficiently contaminated sediments can act as sources of toxicants to important biota. Sediment quality data are direct indicators of the health of coastal aquatic habitats. Sediment quality investigations conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and others have indicated that toxic chemicals are found in the sediments and biota of some estuaries in South Carolina and Georgia (NOAA, 1992). This report documents the toxicity of sediments collected within five selected estuaries: Savannah River, Winyah Bay, Charleston Harbor, St. Simons Sound, and Leadenwah Creek (Figure 1). (PDF contains 292 pages)