Assessing population recovery inside British Columbia’s Rockfish Conservation Areas with a remotely operated vehicle

Haggarty, Dana; Shurin, Jonathan B.; Yamanaka, K. Lynne

doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2016.06.001

Cited by 25 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In BC, Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) have been established coast‐wide to protect declining rockfish populations (Yamanaka and Logan , Haggarty et al. ). Although a long recovery time for rockfish populations is expected due to their life‐history characteristics, overall positive reserve effects have not yet been found and RCAs are being evaluated for their effectiveness (Haggarty et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In BC, Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) have been established coast-wide to protect declining rockfish populations Logan 2010, Haggarty et al 2016). Although a long recovery time for rockfish populations is expected due to their life-history characteristics, overall positive reserve effects have not yet been found and RCAs are being evaluated for their effectiveness (Haggarty et al 2016). Evaluation of habitat in and around RCAs (Haggarty and Yamanaka 2018) should consider connectivity to seascape nurseries, including seagrass meadows, kelp forests, and high-relief rocky reefs to improve RCA effectiveness and the recovery of rockfish abundances.…”

Section: Planning For Seascape Connectivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nearshore seascape connectivity enhances seagrass meadow nursery function

Olson

Hessing‐Lewis

Haggarty

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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Diverse habitats composing coastal seascapes occur in close proximity, connected by the flux of materials and fauna across habitat boundaries. Understanding how seascape connectivity alters important ecosystem functions for fish, however, is not well established. For a seagrass‐dominant seascape, we predicted that configuration and composition of adjacent habitats would alter habitat access for fauna and trophic subsidies, enhancing nursery function for juvenile fish. In an extensive Zostera marina seagrass meadow, we established sites adjacent to (1) highly complex and productive kelp forests (Nereocystis luetkeana), (2) unvegetated sand habitats, and (3) in the seagrass meadow interior. Using SCUBA, we conducted underwater observations of young‐of the‐year (YOY) rockfish (Sebastes spp.) recruitment across sites. Using generalized linear mixed effects models, we assessed the role of seascape adjacency relative to seagrass provisions (habitat complexity and prey) on YOY recruitment. YOY rockfish collections were used to trace sources of allochthonous vs. autochthonous primary production in the seagrass food web, via a δ13C and δ15N isotopic mixing model, and prey consumption using stomach contents. Overall, seagrass nursery function was strongly influenced by adjacent habitats and associated subsidies. Allochthonous N. luetkeana was the greatest source of energy assimilated by YOY rockfish within seagrass sites. In seagrass sites adjacent to N. luetkeana kelp forests, YOYs consumed higher quality prey, which corresponded with better body condition relative to sites adjacent to sand. Moreover, kelp forest adjacency enhanced YOY rockfish recruitment within the seagrass meadow, suggesting that habitat complexity is a key seascape feature influencing the nursery function of nearshore habitats. In general, to promote seascape connectivity, the conservation and restoration of nursery habitats should prioritize the inclusion of habitat mosaics of high structural complexity and productivity. We illustrate and emphasize the importance of using a seascape‐level approach that considers linkages among habitats for the management of important nearshore ecosystem functions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Planning For Seascape Connectivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Nearshore seascape connectivity enhances seagrass meadow nursery function

Olson

Hessing‐Lewis

Haggarty

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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show abstract

“…British Columbia's RCAs have been in place somewhat longer, but few positive effects on targeted rockfish species have been documented (Haggarty, Shurin, & Yamanaka, ). However, the RCAs were only 3–7 years old when surveyed, and this may not have been enough time to detect any effects on long‐lived, late‐maturing species (Haggarty et al., ). Studies of rockfish responses to spatial management elsewhere in the North Pacific have shown positive effects, but in many cases, these effects are not apparent for several years (Caselle, Rassweiler, Hamilton, & Warner, ; Starr et al., ).…”

Section: Performance Of Spatial Management Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The trawl footprint was instituted in 2012, and its efficacy for groundfish stocks has not yet been evaluated (Wallace et al, 2015). British Columbia's RCAs have been in place somewhat longer, but few positive effects on targeted rockfish species have been documented (Haggarty, Shurin, & Yamanaka, 2016). However, the RCAs were only 3-7 years old when surveyed, and this may not have been enough time to detect any effects on long-lived, late-maturing species (Haggarty et al, 2016).…”

Section: Outcomes Within and Adjacent To Managed Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of spatial management tools in rights‐based groundfish fisheries

et al. 2018

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The role of spatial management, including marine protected areas, in achieving fisheries outcomes alongside conservation goals is debated. In fisheries that fail to meet fishing mortality targets, closed areas are sometimes implemented to reduce fishing mortality. However, fisheries with stronger management, including rights‐based approaches that can address overcapacity and overfishing problems, often employ spatial management as well. Here, we compare the objectives, design, and performance of spatial management in nine temperate demersal fisheries in North America, Oceania, Europe, and Africa that employ rights‐based systems. Common objectives of spatial management included protecting habitat, juveniles, and spawners and reducing discards. Recovering age structure and creating scientific reference sites were less common objectives, despite being widely cited benefits of spatial management. Some fisheries adopted single closures to achieve single objectives, whereas others adopted diverse networks to achieve multiple objectives. Importantly, many spatial protections are implemented primarily through industry initiatives. Environmental change compromised the efficacy of spatial management in some cases, suggesting the need to design spatial management systems that are robust to changing ocean conditions. Fisheries with diverse and extensive spatial management systems have generally healthier fish stocks. Whether this implies that spatial management contributed substantially to fishery performance is unclear due to an absence of large‐scale, long‐term studies aimed at discerning different drivers of success. Although these targeted monitoring studies of closed areas are limited, such studies are necessary to help resolve the ongoing debate and to enable more purposeful design of spatial management for fisheries and conservation.

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“…Although initially used for determining substrate composition in deep-water biological assessments as a replacement for manned submersibles (Koenig et al, 2005), advancements in video quality and in ROV technology have allowed ROVs to become a more practical and affordable method for providing assessments for a wide variety of flora and fauna, including elasmobranchs (Benz et al, 2007;Henry et al, 2016), teleost fish (Carpenter and Shull, 2011;Haggarty et al, 2016), cephalopods (Smale et al, 2001;Zeidberg and Robison, 2007), gastropods (Butler et al, 2006;Stierhoff et al, 2012), macro-algae (Spalding et al, 2003), corals (Doughty et al, 2014;Etnoyer et al, 2018) and other macroinvertebrates (Grinyó et al, 2016;Hemery and Henkel, 2016). While ROVs can provide in situ observations of fish, their behaviors and habitat-associations that cannot be determined with traditional methods (i.e., trawls, longline) (Adams et al, 1995;Karpov et al, 2004;Linley et al, 2013), ROVbased sampling strategies must account for the unique challenges of surveying mobile organisms that are not applicable in surveys of sessile invertebrates and substrate.…”

Section: Metrics Scored From Rov Imagerymentioning

confidence: 99%