MCRI Research
MCRI Research
Scientific Diving
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Orange County Giant Kelp Restoration Project
Data Summary for the Stakeholders of the Marine Life Protection Act
The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview, for the MLPA process, of select species groups that have been monitored for the last seven years in Orange County as part of the Orange County Giant Kelp Restoration Project.
These data are taken from the manuscripts being prepared for publication on a wider subject. The urgency of the MLPA process prompted the creation of the report to be used by citizen stakeholders. This report provides no analysis or discussions, simply the observations in graphical formats.
PDF* Downloads: -
Species Composition and Abundances of Nearshore Reef Fish
On the Long Beach and Huntington Beach Offshore Petroleum Platforms (2006)
As the majority of the 27 petroleum platforms off of California are slated to end productivity within the next ten years, the issue of decommissioning is becoming of greater public interest. Previous surveys of platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel have shown that petroleum platforms act as rearing habitat for many over-fished rockfish species, however no thorough systematic surveys of the platforms located off Long Beach and Huntington Beach have been conducted.
Given the proximity of these warm-temperate water platforms to the densely populated Los Angeles and Orange County regions, any decommissioning decisions will be a contentious issue among marine user groups, environmental groups, land owner groups, and the petroleum industry.
Trained AAUS volunteer scientific divers from the Aquarium of the Pacific will assist Chris Martin by conducting surveys of petroleum platforms off Long Beach and Huntington Beach on a bi-monthly basis over a one-year period, and will serve as a pilot study for longer term monitoring.
Results from this data will be used in future scientific studies and will be useful in the debate over platform decommissioning strategies in Southern California.
Study still in progress.
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California Coast Keeper Alliance (2006 - present)
Trained AAUS volunteer scientific divers from the Aquarium of the Pacific are assisting the California Coast Keeper Alliance with a two-year monitoring project at Crystal Cove State Park.
Monitoring of the sites will take place on a bi-annual basis. As of 9/07, the Aquarium of the Pacific has formally adopted this project and will support it with necessary resources to ensure its continued operation.
Study still in progress.
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USC Sediment Circulation Study (2006)
Trained AAUS volunteer scientific divers from the Aquarium of the Pacific assisted researchers from USC and the University of Washington studying seawater circulation through nearshore sediments by obtaining core sediment and water samples from the substrate from three sites off of the coast of Huntington Beach.
Aquarium divers sampled three sites of various depths. Core sediment and water samples were taken as well as current measurements and photo plots of the sand ripples and sediment composition. We will be assisting them with this project on a quarterly basis for two years. The data produced will provide information about the importance of the permeable sea bed as a site for particle sequestration and remineralization in this relatively productive region.
Papers, presentations, or publications not available as study still in progress - 10/07.
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Maritime Archaeology/National Parks (2005)
In November 2005, the Aquarium Dive Safety Officer participated in the annual NPS/CMAR shipwreck survey in California’s Northern Channel Islands.
They surveyed three shipwrecks and completed detailing sections of the shipwreck“Aggi” that had never been mapped. The Aquarium expects to provide volunteer divers to assist with surveys of this type every year.
Papers, presentations, and publications not available.
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Channel Islands Monitoring (2005)
The overall goal of this community-based research program is to train volunteer non-scientists to conduct research and collect data relating toquestions of marine conservation and management inside the recently established Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) of the CINMS. Data was collected during a one week research expedition to the Channel Islands, where the divers practiced data collection following specific sampling protocols. Information obtained was used to supplement existing monitoring projects already underway by researchers at UCSB, PISCO, CDFG, the CINMS, and the Channel Islands National Park Service’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Program (KFM), among others.
A further goal of this program was to promote community awareness and community involvement in marine conservation through the activities of the divers and volunteers associated with the Aquarium’s Volunteer Scientific Diving Program.This pilot study will serve as a model to request funding for future expeditions and long-term monitoring using volunteer research divers from the Aquarium and other institutions.
Papers, presentations, or publications related to this work: No reports or papers have been created chronicling the Aquarium of the Pacific’s contribution to this project due to the small scope of our work, however the scientific data gathering techniques tested by the Aquarium staff divers have been adopted as part of the PISCO protocols. A preliminary report on the data gathered at the CINMS over a five year period will be produced in Dec. 2007, with a final report to the California Fish and Game Commission in Feb. 2008.
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UC Davis/Sea Grant – Marine Debris Study (Derelict Gear Pilot Project) (2005)
Aquarium scientific divers-in-training participated in part of a statewide study managed by UC Davis / Sea Grant and funded by NOAA and the Coastal Conservancy to locate and identify abandoned marine debris in the waters surrounding Catalina Island.
Derelict fishing gear is lost or abandoned fishing nets, lines, pots, traps,and other commercial and recreational fishing gear that sits on the seafloor, gets caught on rocky reefs, or floats in the water column. The majority of this gear does not decompose in seawater and can remain in the marine environment for years. Derelict gear impacts the marine environment in several ways: it can continue to "catch" marine animals, which become entangled or trapped; it can damage the habitat upon which it becomes entangled or upon which it rests; it can pose an underwater hazard for boaters, entangling boat propellers and anchors; and it can similarly endanger humans, especially divers. Derelict gear is also a visual blight, diminishing the natural aesthetic quality of the seafloor and rocky reef habitat for underwater enthusiasts.
PDF* Downloads:
Derelict Fishing Gear – excerpts of report to California Coastal Conservancy. | -
Tracking the Brown Sea Hare (Aplysia californica) in the Southern California Bight (2005)
Volunteer scientific divers from the Aquarium of the Pacific assisted CSU Fullerton PhD. candidate, Mike Navarro with his studies aimed at understanding how larvae of many species disperse in ocean currents.
Divers assisted with sites at the LA Breakwater walls as well as around Catalina Island.Understanding how larvae disperse is critical in making decisions about the size and placement of marine life refuges.
Papers, presentations, or publications are unavailable.
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Cal State Fullerton – Larval Mollusc Movement Study (2005)
Scientific divers from the Aquarium of the Pacific assisted graduate students from California State University, Fullerton by collecting larval sea hares and various other mollusks. Deciphering the connectivity of marine populations involves tracking larval sources and settlement sites.
These researchers are analyzing calcified hard structures in invertebrate larvae called statoliths (similar to otoliths or earbones in fishes) to determine the content of various chemical contaminants. This information can then be compared to known concentrations along the coast to track where the larvae originated. By learning about how animals move from one place to another, we can use the information obtained from this study to help design effective marine reserves.
Papers, presentations, or publications are not available.
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Reproductive Behavior and Coloration of Black Perch (Embiotoca jacksoni) (2004)
Aquarium scientific divers assisted with weekly observations from the Summer of 2004 through the Summer of 2005 as part of a study to determine details of the spawning periodicity of black perch, in King Harbor at Redondo Beach, California.
Information including time of day of spawning, size class relations, mating behavior, and territoriality was investigated to better understand the reproductive behavior of this important reef fish.
PDF* Downloads:Life History and Courtship Behavior of Black Perch (Embiotoca jacksoni) from Southern California. | -
National Park Service Kelp Monitoring Survey (2004)
Several Aquarium scientific divers participated in kelp monitoring survey cruises held by the National Park Service at the Channel Island Marine Sanctuary. Their contributions were especially valuable since kelp forest monitoring has been severely impacted due to limited funding by these agencies.
Papers, presentations, or publications not available.
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Abalone Surveys with CA. Dept. of Fish and Game (2004 – present)
In the spring of 2004 the Aquarium of the Pacific began a cooperative effort with the Department of Fish & Game aimed at determining baseline data on existing populations of abalone at Santa Catalina Island. Scientific Divers have conducted numerous monitoring trips at several locations around Catalina and the Palos Verdes peninsula.
Aquarium and Fish & Game divers have collected data from roughly one-third of the total coastline of Catalina. The data collected thus far was shown clearly that there is a population of abalone around Catalina, although it is not truly sustainable in its present distribution. Fish & Game biologists intend to begin efforts to relocate green abalone found in these surveys to an area in the Marine Preserve at the Wrigley Institute. The Aquarium will continue to be involved in this project as it goes forward.
Paper not available at this time.
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Movement Patterns of the Round Stingray (Urobatis halleri) at Seal Beach, California (2003)
Scientific divers from the Aquarium assisted in this study involving the use of acoustic telemetry to determine how long round stingrays congregate at Seal Beach, and where they go after leaving the area.
This heavily urbanized area may create environmental conditions such as warmer water and softer sediments, which are optimal for this species. As a result of the large numbers of stingrays in the waters off Seal Beach, hundreds of beach-goers are injured each year. Despite the large number of negative interactions between humans and stingrays, surprisingly little is known about the ecology of these rays. Of particular interest with regard to human interactions are the movements of these stingrays. In previous studies large numbers of rays have been tagged at Seal Beach, but few are recaptured there.
PDF* Downloads:Movement Patterns of Round Stingrays (Urobatis halleri) Near a Thermal Outfall | -
Marine Biotoxin Monitoring for California Department of Health Services (2003 – present)
Since 2003 the Aquarium of the Pacific has been participating in a statewide project aimed at determining levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning and domoic acid toxins in marine bivalves and plankton.
Samples of shellfish and plankton are collected and sent in twice a month. Toxin levels from these and other samples taken throughout the state are recorded in the Department of Health Services’ quarterly reports.
PDF* Downloads: Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Annual Report 2006 | Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Annual Report 2005 | Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Annual Report 2004 -
The Fish Assemblage of the Outer Los Angeles Breakwater (2002 - 2003)
The Fish Assemblages Inside and Outside a Temperate Marine Reserve in Southern California (2002 - 2004)
Scientific divers from the Aquarium conducted numerous surveys at two locations near the mainland and at Catalina Island as part of a project to assist CSU Northridge MS candidate John Froeschke in this study comparing species of fishes and schooling/aggregating behavior.
PDF* Downloads:The Reef Fish Assemblage of the Outer Los Angeles Federal Breakwater, 2002–2003 | The Fish Assemblages Inside and Outside of a Temperate Marine Reserve in Southern California |
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