Our Rockfish Newsletter keeps you informed of interesting and innovative work currently underway by NOAA Fisheries and our partners to conserve rockfish and their habitats.
In this edition, we discuss:
- An evaluation of yelloweye rockfish populations
- A plan to monitor young-of-the-year rockfish
- StoryMap looks at oil spills and impacts to benthic habitats
- Partnerships help address declines in bull kelp
We hope you'll enjoy reading! If you have an idea for an article or questions about content, please email Jamey Selleck or Dayv Lowry, NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region.
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Researchers from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS), NOAA Fisheries, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have developed new insights into the status of imperiled yelloweye rockfish. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2010, the yelloweye rockfish population in the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin is vulnerable due to historical exploitation from fisheries and contemporary climate change. The federal recovery plan for this population sets biological criteria to measure recovery based on the spawning potential ratio – an indicator of how well the population is doing, expressed as a percentage of its historical population size. To date, a lack of data has hampered efforts to estimate this key indicator and monitor recovery.
To address this data gap, a team led by SAFS PhD student Markus Min delved into the exploitation history and population dynamics of the population. The team reconstructed yelloweye catch history from fisheries records, collated length data from historical and contemporary hook-and-line surveys, and fitted a data-limited version of a statistical catch-at-age model to estimate population status over time. The team confirmed historical depletion, but from a smaller estimated historical biomass, resulting in a less severe estimate of population decline. With a cessation of targeted fisheries since 2010, the team also projected a slow, steady increase in population size to levels nearing initial recovery goals. Assessments such as this, which leverage existing data to provide insight into population health, are vitally important for informing management and conservation efforts. The open-source paper can be found here.
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Relative size of the U.S. portion of the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin yelloweye rockfish population (excluding Hood Canal) over time, based on low natural mortality (M = 0.024), across three catch scenarios. Shaded areas are 95% confidence intervals
Where can you (yes, you!) find rockfish while diving? Rockfish can be found anywhere in Puget Sound, and having data about their presence or absence from diverse locations is key to describing patterns of distribution, as well as understanding where new rockfish settle. Working with partners, we recently developed a young-of-the-year (YOY) rockfish monitoring plan for index sites throughout Puget Sound to guide long-term survey efforts. In addition to index sites, the plan needs observations from randomized sites throughout the region. YOY rockfish can be found in various habitats, so we encourage you to branch out and try sites that may feature eelgrass, kelp, rocky reef, or soft-bottom – then be sure to report your data. And remember, zeros count! Your data collection efforts might even help you find a new favorite dive site!
To prepare for participating in monitoring surveys, check out materials on our science page for yelloweye rockfish. Here, you can find great resources like our YOY Survey Guide or the Rockfish Identification Guide from WDFW to assist you in species identification.
Also check out how your YOY data made a difference in our 2015–2020 Rockfish YOY Summary Report!
For more information, and to report YOY observations, please contact Adam Obaza, Jamey Selleck, or Dr. Dayv Lowry. Most importantly, keep diving in Puget Sound and start (or continue) keeping an eye out for YOY rockfish!
A young-of-the-year (YOY) yelloweye rockfish – one of our diamonds in the rough
The Salish Sea, a cherished and biodiverse marine environment, is at risk for a major oil spill. Commercial marine traffic has been increasing, expanding the risk of a major oil spill during transport, as well as from bunker fuels used by other vessels. Transport of diluted bitumen (also known as dilbit), a type of heavy oil that can sink to the seafloor and accumulate in troughs and canyons, presents unique challenges for protection of benthic habitats critical to rockfishes and other bottomfish.
A recent collaborative research project led by Gary Greene and John Aschoff at the Tombolo Mapping Laboratory has used tide and current predictions, sediment transport and deposition models, intimate knowledge of geomorphology, and fish distribution data to identify potential impacts of spilled dilbit in the central Salish Sea (the San Juan Archipelago). They predict where dilbit is likely to become embedded in rocky crevices, dispersed by strong currents, accumulate and settle into sediments, or be trapped in bays. They also identify important benthic habitats likely to lie in the path of spilled and sunken oil released from various locations.
A draft report and companion maps are available, and the ESRI StoryMap summarizes this work using interactive and engaging maps. You can find other cool related StoryMaps here:
A map showing predicted embedment sites (red) in the San Juan Archipelago at which diluted bitumen (dilbit) could sink and foul rock outcrops. Commercial vessel transit routes shown in green
In order to address loss of habitat related to degradation of kelp and eelgrass by nearshore development, NOAA Fisheries is joining the Pew Charitable Trusts, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and other partners to identify and share the latest and most effective tools, science, and practices for recognizing and objectively assessing the ecological value of submerged aquatic vegetation in nearshore habitats.
The Nearshore Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Evaluation (Nearshore SAVE) team will evaluate, refine, and seek to standardize tools to assess nearshore habitat value. This will help ensure that protected and managed species, from rockfish to shellfish, have the healthy habitat they need to thrive, even in the face of climate change. The partnership involves three main activities:
- Reviewing the scientific literature on nearshore habitat evaluation
- Surveying NOAA and non-NOAA partners for evaluation frameworks or tools
- Engaging partners through listening sessions and workshops
Engaging the science and management community and other key partners is critical to the partnership’s success. “The primary goal of this effort is to provide coastal communities with a shared, consistent toolset for considering the ecological value of habitats. Nearshore habitats support sustainable fisheries, protected species, and provide coastal resilience,” said Steve Marx, a coastal habitat and fisheries expert with Pew. “The outcomes of this effort will provide a list of tools for making decisions about land and water use and habitat conservation.”
You can follow more about the partnership at the NOAA Fisheries and Pew Charitable Trust websites.
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