MBNMS RAP Meeting Summary July 13th, 2007

Research Activity Panel: Meeting Summary
Chris Harrold, Monterey Bay Aquarium, RAP Chair

Host: Paul Reilly - Marine Fisheries (California Department of Fish and Game)

Location: California Department of Fish and Game, Monterey

Date: Friday, July 13th, 2007; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

In Attendance:

* Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Primary)
† Sanctuary Advisory Council Member: Research (Alternate)

Absent:

CONSENT ITEMS

Introductions/modifications to the agenda (Chris Harrold)

• Introduction of Paul Michel, new MBNMS Superintendent

PRESENTATIONS

Description of selected Department of Fish and Game Marine Region fishery-independent and fishery-dependent projects in central California waters for 2007 (Paul Reilly et al./CDFG)

Four speakers focused on different priority research from the CDFG Management Plan:

• Travis Tanaka - California Halibut investigations
• Ken Oda - Surf Perch (mostly Barred Surf Perch)
• Dave Osorio - Assessing the effectiveness of Carmel Pinnacles State Marine Reserve and Pt. Lobos Marine Reserve with fishery independent surveys (i.e., SCUBA surveys, hook and line, stick, trap gear, and mark- recapture techniques)
• Sean Hubler - Fish movement, abundance, age and growth around Pt. Lobos Reserve

Status of marine mortalities in central CA & Domoic Acid (Raphael Kudela)

• A history of domoic acid and paralytic shell fish poisoning was presented
• 2007 was an unusual year for the high levels of domoic acid in Monterey Bay
• Related information can be found at www.mbnms-simon.org/sections/openOcean/project_info.php?pid=100173&sec=oo

Food safety and environmental quality: Possible impacts from new standards and guidelines (Diana Stuart/UCSC)

• There is a conflict between best management practices to enhance water quality (i.e., vegetated buffer zones) and certain companiesí food safety standards requiring bare ground buffers and other efforts to eliminate wildlife (though there is inconclusive evidence to indicate wildlife bring harmful pathogens)
• See www.rcdmonterey.org for a report on surveys on how farmers are responding to the pressures they are under
• Relevant research questions:
  • Are wildlife really a threat in terms of pathogens?
  • Can vegetation perhaps slow down E. coli movement?
  • What are the best practices for both food safety and water quality?
• Need increased water quality monitoring to assess changes in water quality as all these changes take place.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Critical research issues of the RAP to provide to Paul Michel (new Superintendent) (DeVogelaere & Harrold)

• RAP members commented that the following items should be Sanctuary priorities:
  • Global warming issues should be included in the Management Plan
  • Stable funding is necessary for long-term monitoring, and developing an endowment fund through the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation should be explored
  • As a government agency, the Sanctuary should focus research efforts on long-term monitoring
    • SIMON is the highest priority for funding and support, from the perspective of the research community
    • SIMoN is a priority program that should be supported to coordinate information and fund monitoring
  • A key role for the MBNMS research program is coordinating regional research-sharing information (through SIMoN web site, RAP meetings, list serves) and facilitating multi-institution projects
  • Staff should be involved in field research, but the majority program focus should be on coordination and facilitation
  • The Sanctuary should distill and make available lists of needed conservation research projects for graduate students and professional marine researchers to address
  • Ecosystem based research should be considered, to synthesis habitat and species specific regional research
  • There should be a growing focus on human use patterns and their relation to both management practices and resource impact
• Superintendent Michel noted the comments and discussion, and looks forward to further follow up on how to prioritize and focus research needs

SUGGESTED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Future Agenda Items (running list):

• Water Quality
  • Findings tracking pathogens in sea otters and connection to FW flows (CDFG, UCDavis?)
  • Critical coastal areas presentation (ASBS, areas water quality impaired, areas in good state; Ross Clark)
  • CCLEAN summary (Central Coast Long-term Environmental Assessment Network; Dane Hardin/Applied Marine Sciences)
• SIMoN: future monitoring (JMPR or beyond)
• SIMoN Special Status Species Project (Jennifer Brown)
• The State of Nation's Marine Managed Areas (Lisa Wooninck and Rikki Dunsmore)
• Regime Shifts (Larry Breaker)
• Role of offshore MPAs
• Ed Thornton to speak on coastal armoring and coastal erosion
• Linking SIMoN to management (Amber Szoboszlai; January 2008)