Research Activity Panel Meeting Summary
Gregor M. Cailliet, MLML, RAP Chair
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SEPTEMBER 1999 MEETING

Host: Big Creek Marine Ecological Reserve/Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve
Date: Friday  September 10, 1999; 10:30-14:00; followed by the Annual RAP Barbecue
Attendance: 8 Members and 2 Guests (including Aaron King, Master BarBQuer)  

PRESENTATIONS

Institutional Update: Big Creek Ecological Reserve (Carrie Pomeroy)

• Carrie reviewed the rockfish fishery arrangements between the Reserve and the fishermen.
• Rikk Kvitek summarized what he and others have been doing regarding elevation and bathymetry of the Big Creek Ecological Reserve. This will be similar to a recent map of the ocean area at Point. Lobos and complements the survey done for Mary Yoklavich and her colleagues in deeper water of BCER.
• Detailed subtidal habitat mapping off California
• A project to complete multibeam and sidescan mapping of the coast has been initiated by the State of California with Rikk Kvitek and H. Gary Greene.
• There will be a workshop discussing classification schemes, metadata, priority areas for mapping, etc. and the development of a strategic plan for a continental shelf map for the state.

Update on ICON and REAL Marine Observatories (Jeff Paduan)

• Jeff presented the latest on REAL (Rapid Environmental Assessment Laboratory: see website http:www.oc.nps.navy.mil/~stanton/miso for a review of the project);
• The observatory is up and running and presently measuring pressure from tidal changes and wave height, currents, ripple heights, and photographing areas of the sea floor. Plans are to add another offshore buoy and wave cam.
• He also reviewed ICON (Innovative coastal Ocean Network) which is monitoring ocean circulation off Point Sur (web address http:www.oc.nps.navy.mil/~icon/).

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Comments to how to improve RAP meetings

• Include more outside speakers.
• Initiation of a RAP internship would be useful (could help teach the student policy/science links, perhaps through CSUMB or MLML, with CSU faculty and Andrew DeVogelaere as supervisors).
• The role of the RAP was discussed and it was decided that the tendency to be involved with issues, rather than act as a clearinghouse for scientific facts, was inappropriate. We feel comfortable commenting on issues as requested by MBNMS staff and the SAC but would rather not initiate issues.
• The next annual RAP barbecue was a very important item of discussion. Aaron King and the Sanctuary were thanked for their wonderful support of the RAP. It was decided that the new MLML building would be the most appropriate site for the RAP annual barbeque next fall, year 2000 (building completion required, of course).

Future RAP meetings (Andrew De Vogelaere)
November 12, 1999, at Hopkins Marine Station
January 15, 2000, at USGS in Santa Cruz