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Marine Reserves News: What We've Learned at Cape Perpetua After 8 Years

ODFW sent this bulletin at 08/25/2022 05:30 AM PDT

What Have We Learned at Cape Perpetua?
Snapshots from the Synthesis Report

Photo: At Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve, an Ochre Sea Star clings to barnacle-encrusted rocks while awaiting the return of the tide.

We are excited to release the ‘Cape Perpetua One-Pager’ this month! We invite you to read this snapshot overview of our findings from the 2022 Synthesis Report as we report key findings at the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve. Learn about long-term collaborations that have led to insights about oceanography and invertebrates at this special site.

The Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve One-Pager is the fourth of a series, highlighting findings from our ecological monitoring efforts for each individual marine reserve, based on our recent Marine Reserves Program Synthesis Report. The synthesis report was released back in February and is currently available for the public to download. Our One-Pager snapshot summaries focus on the most salient findings from our research activities at each marine reserve. In the coming months we will be publishing our final One-Pager for the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve.

Marine Reserves’ Presents at the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting

Photo: ODFW staff present research to members of the public

This month staff from our Ecological Monitoring and Human Dimensions teams presented at the American Fisheries Society annual meeting. The meeting this year focused on the theme of What Do Fish Mean to Us – exploring perspectives above and below the water.

The Ecological Monitoring team contributed a talk for the symposium focusing on growing fisheries research and management through angler engagement. Our talk entitled Oregon’s Marine Reserve Monitoring Buoyed by Engagement with Local Fishers describes several examples of how ecological monitoring has engaged with commercial, charter and recreational fishing communities to inform and support monitoring activities.

Our Human Dimensions staff member was an invited presenter for the symposium focusing on a fisheries biologist’s guide to using human dimensions data. His talk entitled An Interdisciplinary Assessment of the Socioeconomic Impact of Marine Reserves in Oregon describes the types of human dimensions research questions and monitoring and their relevance to a fisheries biologist.

The American Fisheries Society is the world’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to strengthening the fisheries profession, advancing fisheries science and conserving fisheries resources. Presenting at this conference enables our program to share the ODFW Marine Reserves experience with other fisheries managers, biologists, professors and social scientists from around the world.

To learn more about the Human Dimensions Research that the marine reserves program has been conducting over the last 10+ years on our website here: https://oregonmarinereserves.com/science/human-dimensions/

We're Hiring a new Marine Reserves Program Leader!

Photo: This sea lion is searching for the perfect candidate!

Our former Marine Reserves Program Leader Cristen Don departed in June. We are currently recruiting to fill her position permanently. The application deadline is September 1st.

If you’re interested in joining our team, learn more about the application here or apply directly using this link.

Reports from the Field - August 2022

Photo: Volunteers carefully scan the mussel beds at Cascade Head Marine Reserve.

This month we continued field work efforts for several projects:

Cascade Head: Intertidal mussel bed surveys were completed during this month's minus-tides. This monitoring helps our Oregon State University collaborators track shifts in mussel bed cover that may have occurred after the outbreak of sea star wasting syndrome.

Otter Rock & Redfish Rocks:We completed our SMURF (Standardized Monitoring Units for the Recruitment of Fishes) surveys this month to study juvenile fish settlement in the nearshore environment. We collaborate with Oregon State University, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and South Coast Tours (our newest collaborator out of Port Orford) to accomplish this valuable work.