Survey of deep-water corals and sponges along the US West ... · A survey of deep‐water coral and...

Asurveyofdeep‐watercoralandspongehabitatsalongtheWestCoast

oftheUSusingaremotelyoperatedvehicle

NOAAFisheriesSurveyVessel(FSV)BellM.ShimadaNovember1‐5,2010

Reportdate:October2011

NOAATechnicalMemorandumNOSNCCOS138

ThisreporthasbeenreviewedbytheNationalOceanServiceoftheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA)andapprovedforpublication.SuchapprovaldoesnotsignifythatthecontentsnecessarilyrepresenttheofficialpositionofNOAAoroftheGovernmentoftheUnitedStates,nordoesmentionoftradenamesorcommercialproductsconstituteendorsementorrecommendationfortheiruse.Furthermore,thisreportisintendedtoserveasarecordofcruiseactivitiesandpreliminaryobservationsduringafieldsurveyinsupportofanongoingresearchstudy,andthusdoesnotrepresentafinalanalysisorinterpretationofprojectresults.CitationforthisReport:Stierhoff,KL,PJEtnoyer,DWMurfin,andJLButler.2011.Asurveyofdeep‐watercoraland

spongehabitatsalongtheWestCoastoftheUSusingaremotelyoperatedvehicle.NOAATechnicalMemorandumNOSNCCOS138.NOAACenterforCoastalEnvironmentalHealthandBiomolecularResearch,Charleston,SC.38pp.

Asurveyofdeep‐watercoralandspongehabitatsalongtheWestCoastoftheUSusingaremotelyoperatedvehicleKevinL.Stierhoff1,PeterJ.Etnoyer2,DavidW.Murfin1,andJohnL.Butler11 NOAAFisheries,SouthwestFisheriesScienceCenter(SWFSC),8604LaJollaShoresDr.,LaJolla,CA92037

2 NOAAOceanService,NationalCentersforCoastalOceanScience(NCCOS),CenterforCoastalEnvironmentalHealthandBiomolecularResearch(CCEHBR),219FortJohnsonRoad,Charleston,SC,29412‐9110

[Alsoseelistofothercollaboratingscientistsonthefinalpageofthisreport]

NOAATechnicalMemorandumNOSNCCOS138

October2011

UnitedStatesDepartmentof NationalOceanicand NationalOceanServiceCommerce AtmosphericAdministrationGaryLocke JaneLubchenco DavidKennedy(A)Secretary Administrator AssistantAdministrator

Additionalcopiesofthiscruisereportcanbeobtainedbycontacting:1.Dr.KevinStierhoffNOAAFisheries‐SouthwestFisheriesScienceCenter(SWFSC)8604LaJollaShoresDr.LaJolla,CA92037Telephone:(858)546‐7180Email:kevin.stierhoff@noaa.gov2.Dr.PeterEtnoyerNOAACenterforCoastalEnvironmentalHealthandBiomolecularResearch(CCEHBR)219FortJohnsonRoadCharleston,SC29412‐9110Telephone:(843)762‐8652Email:[email protected]

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Introduction

SurveyoverviewSurveyObjectives:

Remotelyoperatedvehicle(ROV)surveyswereconductedfromNOAA’sstate‐of‐the‐artFisheriesSurveyVessel(FSV)BellM.Shimadaduringasix‐daytransitNovember1‐5,2010betweenSanDiego,CAandSeattle,WA.Theobjectiveofthissurveywastolocateandcharacterizedeep‐seacoralandspongeecosystemsatseveralrecommendedsitesinsupportofNOAA’sCoralReefConservationProgram.Deep‐seacoralsandspongeswerephotographedandcollectedwheneverpossibleusingtheSouthwestFisheriesScienceCenter’s(SWFSC)PhantomROV‘Sebastes’(Fig.1).

ThesurveyedsiteswererecommendedbyNationalMarineSanctuary(NMS)

scientistsatMontereyBayNMS,GulfoftheFarallonesNMS,andOlympicCoastNMS(Fig.2).Thespecificsiteswere:SurCanyon,TheFootball,CoquilleBank,andOlympicCoastNMS.Duringeachdive,theROVcollecteddigitalstillimages,video,navigation,andalong‐trackconductivity‐temperature‐depth(CTD),andoptodedata.Videoandhigh‐resolutionphotographswereusedtoquantifyabundanceofcorals,sponges,andassociatedfishesandinvertebratestothelowestpracticabletaxonomiclevel,andalsotoclassifytheseabedbysubstratetype.Areferencelasersystemwasusedtoquantifyareasearchedandestimatethedensityofbenthicfauna.

SurveySummary:

FiveROVtransectsurveyswereconductedbetweenSanDiego,CAandSeattle,WA.Thetotalsubmergedtimeof9hours45minutes.Thetotalseafloordistancesurveyedwas~5.1kilometers(km).Thedepthrangeofobservationswasfrom110‐400meters(m)(Table1).Manydeep‐seaoctocorals,cupcorals,andspongeswereobservedthroughoutthesurvey.TheROV’ssinglefunctionmanipulatorwasusedtocollectfourdeep‐seacoralspecimensformolecularandmorphologicaltaxonomyplusthreeserendipitoussamplesofinvertebratesassociatedwiththosecorals.Samplesconsistedof:(1)Dendrophylliasp.,(2)brittlestars,(2)Euplexauramarkii,(~20)amphipodsassociatedwithE.markii,and(1)Swiftiapacifica(seeAppendix1).

Table1.NavigationsummaryforROVdeep‐seacoralsurveys.

Divename

Sitename Duration Start End Avg.Depth

Totaldistance

(h) Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude (m) (m)

10‐306A SurCanyon 2:44 36.232 ‐121.914 36.236 ‐121.911 ‐401 1025

10‐307A TheFootball 1:03 38.449 ‐123.582 38.446 ‐123.583 ‐192 566

10‐308A CoquilleBank 1:51 42.907 ‐124.859 42.909 ‐124.854 ‐237 858

10‐309A OCNMSSite1 1:57 48.167 ‐125.360 48.177 ‐125.362 ‐111 1503

10‐309B OCNMSSite2 2:10 48.155 ‐125.112 48.163 ‐125.114 ‐244 1212

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Figure1:PhotosoftheSWFSCPhantomROV’Sebastes’(topleft),thecollectionbasketsattachedtotheclumpweight(topright),andtheFSVBellM.Shimada(bottom).

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SurveyMethod:TheROV(DeepOceanEngineering,Inc.PhantomDS4)wasequippedwithaCTD

sensor(CitadelCTD,TeledyneRDI),anoxygenoptode,aDopplervelocitylog(DVL,forpreciselymeasuringspeedanddistance,WorkhorseNavigator,TeledyneRDI),ascanningsonar,asingle‐functionmanipulator,adigitalstillcamera(InsitePacific,Inc.ScorpiowithNikonCoolpix995),avideocamera(SonyFCB‐IX47Cwith468x720linesofresolutionandan18xopticalzoom),areferencelasersystem,andanultra‐shortbaseline(USBL)trackingsystem(LinkQuest).TheROV’sdownweightwasequippedwithcollectionbasketsforholdingcoralspecimens.TheFSVShimadawasequippedwithanazimuthalbowthrusteranddynamic‐positioning(DP)systemthatprovidedprecisecontrolovertheship’scourse,heading,andspeed.ThesetoolsallowedtheROVtosurveyandnavigatetoprecisecoordinatesandchangecoursewhileunderway.Alive‐feedoftheROV’sreal‐timetrackingsystemtothebridgeaidedcommunicationsamongthehelm,deckcrewandROVoperations.NavigationdatafromtheshipandROVwereloggedat2‐secondintervalsusingtheWinFrogintegratednavigationsystemsoftware(Fugro‐Pelagos,Inc.).

Duringeachdive,theROVcollecteddigitalstillimages,video,navigationdata(e.g.

latitude/longitude,speed,anddepth),andalong‐trackCTD‐optode(CTD‐O)data.Videoandhigh‐resolutionphotographswerereviewedpost‐cruisetoquantifytheabundanceofallobservedorganismstothelowestpracticabletaxonomiclevel.Distancewascalculatedevery2‐secondsusingthespeedoftheROV.Videoandthereferencelasersystemwereusedtoquantifytotalareasearchedat2‐secondintervalsusingthe3Beam©QuantitativeMeasurementSystem(QMS)software(Pinkardetal.2005,Stierhoffetal.Inprep.).HabitattypeswereclassifiedfollowingtheclassificationsystemofGreeneetal.(1999),butweresubsequentlysummarizedintobroaderhabitatclasses(hard,soft,mixed)foreaseofcomparison(Table2).Thetotalareasearchedwithineachbroadhabitattypewasalsocalculatedtoestimatehabitat‐specificdensitiesofeachorganismateachdivesite.

Table2.HabitatclassificationcriteriaforROVsurveys,fromGreeneetal.(1999).Broadclass Habitattype Habitatdescription

Soft Mud Mud(claytosilt,<0.06mm) Sand Sand(0.06‐2mm)

Mixed Pebble Pebble(2‐64mm) Cobble Cobble(64‐256mm)

Hard Low‐reliefreef Consolidatedlow‐reliefreef(e.g.pavement) Boulder Boulder(0.25‐3m) High‐relief Consolidatedhigh‐reliefreef Verticalrock Verticalrock(approaching90degrees)

Watercolumn Watercolumn ROVoff‐bottom

Detailedinformationisprovidedinthisreport.Additionalimagesareavailablehere:http://picasaweb.google.com/peter.etnoyer/WestCoastShakedownExpedition#

Aninteractivemap,includingvirtualtoursfromeachROVdiveisavailablehere: http://swfsc.noaa.gov/ShimadaDeepcoralCruise2010/

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Figure2.Overviewmapshowingthelocationofremotelyoperatedvehicle(ROV)divesbetweenSanDiego,CAandSeattle,WA.GreenandredpointsindicatethestartandendofeachROVtransect,respectively.

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SitecharacterizationsSurCanyon(Dive10‐306A)–11/02/2010Physicalenvironment

TheSurCanyon(Fig.3)isanunexploredareaoftheMBNMS.Itisbeingconsideredasapotential"UniqueandRareArea"inanEcosystemBasedManagementInitiativeduetotheuniquecanyonmorphology.Surveysofdeepcoralandspongesarenecessarytoinformthisinitiative.Moreover,anorth/southdeep‐seacableroutewasplannedtocrossthisareainthepast,andtheproposalmayberesubmittedinthefuture.Acharacterizationofcanyonfaunaisimportantforassessingenvironmentalimpactsfrompotentialcables(pers.comm.,A.DeVogelaeare,MBNMS).Thecanyonsiteislocated~6kmoffshoreoftheBigSurCoast,southofMontereyBay.

Figure3.MapofthedivesiteatSurCanyon(Dive10‐306A).Pointsindicateobservationsfromstillphotographs.GreenandredpointsindicatethestartandendofeachROVtransect,respectively.Insetmapindicatesthelocationalongthecoast.

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AwatercolumnprofilewascollectedusingtheCTD‐O,butthecollectionofdatadidnotbeginuntiltheROVreached50m(Fig.4).Thetemperaturewas11Cat50mandcontinuallydecreasedto6Cat~480m.Salinityalsodecreasedcontinuallyfrom33.8PSUto34.3PSUbetween50mandtheseafloor.Dissolvedoxygendroppedfrom5mgO2l‐1attheseasurfaceto~1mgO2l‐1(~10%saturation)atdepth.

Figure4.Watercolumnprofilesoftemperature(blue),salinity(red),anddissolved

oxygen(green)atSurCanyon(10‐306A).TheROVwasdeployedinchallengingconditions:thewindspeedwas~10knots

andtheseaswere3‐4m.This4‐hourdivetargetedthesteepeasternwallofSurCanyon,coveringapproximately1kmofseaflooratanaveragedepthof400m(Table1).Thesteepestpartofthecanyonwallwasnearthetransectline,butthisparticularpartofthecanyonwasavoidedtominimizetheriskofdamagetotheROV.Theslopewasmoderatetosteep,composedprimarilyofhard(low‐andhigh‐reliefreef,59%totalarea)andsoftsubstrate(mostlymud,34%totalarea),andpunctuatedbyintermittentboulders(Fig.5).

Figure5.PercentandtotalareaofhabitatsurveyedatSurCanyon(10‐306A).

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BiologicalenvironmentCoralsandanemones

ThepredominantcoralswerethesoftcoralAnthomastusritteriandthelargecupcoralDesmophyllumsp.(Fig.6a,Table3).SwiftiaberingiandEuplexauramarkiwerepresent,butrelativelyuncommon(Table3).Severalunidentifiedseapens(Pennatulacea)werealsoobserved.Almostallobservationsoccurredonhardsubstrate.Coraldensityacrossallhabitattypeswasestimatedtobe~36coloniesperkm2.PhotosofseveralrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.7.Sponges

Thespongeassemblagewasfairlydiverse.Fan‐shaped,vase‐shaped,plate‐shaped(bracketsponges),barrel‐shapedandwhip‐likecolonieswereobserved(Fig.6b,Table3).Largebootsponges(~30cmheight)andyellowvasesponges(~20cmdiameter)werethepredominanthabitatformingbenthicinvertebrates.Numerouswhip‐likecoloniesofAsbestoplumasp.(identifiedbyLonnyLundsten,MontereyBayAquariumResearchInstitute)wereobserved.Spongedensityacrossallhabitattypeswasestimatedtobe~80coloniesperkm2.Almostallobservationsoccurredonhardsubstrate,wherespongeswereattachedtoboulders.PhotosofseveralrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.7.Fishes

Shortspinethornyheads(Sebastolobusalascanus)werethemostcommonfishesobserved(~32perkm2,Figure6c),andweremostlyobservedoversoftsubstrate(Table3).OthernotableScorpaenidfishesincludedbankrockfish(Sebastesrufus),aurorarockfish(S.aurora),andblackgillrockfish(S.melanostomus,Fig.6c).Doversole(Microstomuspacificus),Californiarays(Rajainornata)andseveralsablefish(Anoplopomafimbria)werealsoobserved.Echinoderms,ArthropodsandMollusks

NumerousHumboldtsquid(Dosidicusgigas)wereobservedfeedingamidstamid‐wateraggregationofDiaphussp.(likelyDiaphustheta,Californiaheadlightfish)near400mdepthduringthedescent.Deep‐seasunstars(Rathbunastercalifornicus)werehighlyabundantoverthehardsubstrate(Fig.6d,Table3).Severalotherunidentifiedseastars,featherstars(crinoids),andsuspension‐feedingseacucumberswerealsoobserved.Twobrittlestarswerecollectedinadvertentlyinthesamplebasket.

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Figure6.RelativeabundanceofthepredominanttaxaatSurCanyon(10‐306A).Thetotalnumberofcolonies(forcoralsandsponges)orindividuals(forfishesandechinoderms)isindicatedoneachpanel.

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Table3.Abundance(totalnumber)anddensity(numberperkm2)offishand

benthicmegafaunaineachmajorhabitattypeatSurCanyon(10‐306A).

Scientific name Common name Soft Mixed Hard All Soft Mixed Hard All

Cnidarians (Cnidaria) 9 48 57 15 48 36

Anthozoa 9 48 57 15 48 36

Anthomastus ritteri Mushroom soft coral 8 28 36 14 28 23

Desmophyllum sp. Large cup coral 14 14 14 9

Euplexaura marki Red sea whip 4 4 4 3

Pennatulacea Sea pen‐unidentified 1 2 3 2 2 2

Sponges (Porifera) 12 115 127 21 114 80

Demospongiae 2 46 48 3 46 30

Asbestopluma sp. Asbestopluma (white whip sponge) 14 14 14 9

Poecillastra japonica Poecillastra (yellow bracket sponge) 13 13 13 8

Amphilectus sp. Amphilectus (yellow vase sponge) 11 11 11 7

Wigginsia wigginsi Wigginsia (tall white sponge) 2 8 10 3 8 6

Hexactinellida 3 24 27 5 24 17

Rhabdocalyptus dawsoni Boot sponge 2 22 24 3 22 15

Aphrocallistes vastus Aphrocallistes (yellow sponge) 1 1 2 2 1 1

Acanthascinae Glass sponge‐unidentified 1 1 1 1

Unknown 7 45 52 12 45 33

Porifera Sponge‐unidentified 7 45 52 12 45 33

Fishes (Chordata) 76 44 120 130 44 75

Actinopterygii 75 42 117 128 42 73

Sebastolobus alascanus Shortspine thornyhead 20 12 32 34 12 20

Myctophidae Myctophid‐unidentified 30 30 51 19

Sebastes rufus Bank rockfish 2 17 19 3 17 12

Sebastes aurora Aurora rockfish 4 4 8 7 4 5

Pleuronectiformes Flatfish‐unidentified 1 4 5 2 4 3

Anoplopoma fimbria Sablefish 4 4 7 3

Lycodes cortezianus Bigfin eelpout 2 2 4 3 2 3

Sebastes melanostomus Blackgill rockfish 4 4 7 3

Glyptocephalus zachirus Rex Sole 3 3 5 2

Sebastomus sp. Rosy‐group rockfish 1 2 3 2 2 2

Agonidae Poacher‐unidentified 1 1 2 1

Merluccius productus Pacific hake 1 1 2 1

Microstomus pacificus Dover sole 1 1 2 1

Sebastes sp. Rockfish‐unidentified 1 1 1 1

Sebastolobus sp. Thornyhead‐unidentified 1 1 2 1

Chondrichthyes 1 1 2 2 1 1

Raja inornata California skate 1 1 1 1

Raja sp. Skate‐unidentified 1 1 2 1

Myxini 1 1 1 1

Myxinidae Hagfish‐unidentified 1 1 1 1

Echinoderms (Echinodermata) 25 58 83 43 58 52

Asteroidea 17 58 75 29 58 47

Rathbunaster californicus Deep‐sea sun star 15 58 73 26 58 46

Asteroidea Sea star‐unidentified 2 2 3 1

Crinoidea 1 1 2 1

Florometra serratissima Common feather star 1 1 2 1

Holothuroidea 7 7 12 4

Pannychia moseleyi Sea cucumber 7 7 12 4

Mollusks (Mollusca) 2 1 3 3 1 2

Cephalopoda 1 1 2 1

Dosidicus gigas Giant squid 10 1 17 1

Gastropoda 1 1 2 2 1 1

Pleurobranchaea californica Bubble snail 1 1 2 2 1 1

Grand Total 124 266 390 212 264 245

Species by group Abundance by habitat type (total number) Density by habitat type (number per km2)

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Figure7a.SelectphotosofstructureformingcoralsandspongesfromthedivesiteatSurCanyon(10‐306A):1)Alargevasesponge(left)andbootsponge(Rhabdocalyptusdawsoni,right),2)afansponge(Amphilectussp.center)andAnthomastusritteri(bottomcenter),3)astalkedsponge(lowerleft)andafansponge(lowerleft),4)avasespongeAmphilectussp.SpongeidentificationswereprovidedbyDrs.BillAustinandHenryResiwig,fromphotos.Redlasers=20centimeters.

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Figure7b.SelectphotosofstructureformingcoralsandspongesfromthedivesiteatSurCanyon(10‐306A):5)largevasespongeswithAnthomastusritteriatthebase,6)anAsbestoplumasp.spongeandabankrockfish(Sebastesrufus),7)redwhipcorals(Euplexauramarki),and8)aplatesponge(lowerleft)withDesmophyllumsp.(topcenter).

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87

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‘TheFootball’(Dive10‐307A)–11/03/2010Physicalenvironment

‘TheFootball’(Fig.8)isaproposedGFNMSexpansionsitelocatednorthwestofSanFrancisco.ThedivesitewasrecommendedbyJanRolettooftheGulfoftheFarallonesNationalMarineSanctuary(GFNMS).‘TheFootball’TheROVcoveredapproximately600moftheseaflooratanaveragedepthof200moverthecourseofa1‐hourdive(Table1).

Figure8.Mapofthedivesiteat‘TheFootball’(10‐307A).Pointsindicateobservationsofvariousspeciesgroupsfromstillphotographs.GreenandredpointsindicatethestartandendofeachROVtransect,respectively.Insetmapindicatesthelocationalongthecoast.

AwatercolumnprofilewascollectedusingtheCTD‐O(Fig.9).Theprofileindicated

surfacetemperaturesof13Cinthefirst10mofthewatercolumn,droppingtoauniformtemperaturenear8Cbelow100mdepth.Salinitywasrelativelylow,increasingslightlyfrom33PSUatthesurfaceto34PSUbelow100mdepth.Dissolvedoxygendroppedfrom9mgO2l‐1attheseasurfaceto2.7mgO2l‐1(~30%saturation)at~190mdepth.

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Figure9.Watercolumnprofilesoftemperature(blue),salinity(red),anddissolved

oxygen(green)at‘TheFootball’(10‐307A).

Thedivebeganatthenorthendofthefeature,movingtowardsthesouthbeforealteringcoursetowardsthewestintoslightlydeeperwater.Theseafloorwasamoderatetosteepinclinecoveredwithfinesedimentandintermittentlargebouldersoverlyingthedominantlow‐reliefreefsubstrate(i.e.hardpavement,Fig.10).Light‐coloredwormtubeswereattachedtotheboulders.AstheROVmovedtothewestintodeeperwater,weobservedasedimentaryscarpfeaturewithmanyrockfishtakingrefuge.GeologicalfeatureswerephotographedtoaidinterpretationofmultibeamechosounderdatacollectedbytheNOAAShipOkeanosExplorer.

Figure10.Percentandtotalareaofhabitatsurveyedat‘TheFootball’(10‐307A).

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Nolargehabitat‐formingcoralswereobserved,andtherewerenosamplescollectedbytheROV.Theoveralldensityofcoralsandanemonesatthissitewasrelativelylow(~7coloniesperkm2,Table4).SeveralDesmophyllumsp.cupcorals(Fig.11a)wereobservedhangingdownfromasedimentaryscarp,andseveralunidentifiedanemones(Urticinasp.)wereobservedonhardsubstrate.PhotosofseveralrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.12.Sponges

Fewlargehabitat‐formingspongeswereobserved.Somesmallerunidentifiedspongecolonieswereobservedoverhardsubstrate(Fig.11b).Theoveralldensityofspongesatthissitewasalsorelativelylow(~22coloniesperkm2,Table4).PhotosofseveralrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.12.Fishes

Severalrockfishes(Sebastessp.)wereobserved,butgreenspottedrockfish(S.chlorostictus)andgreenstripedrockfish(S.elongatus)weremostcommon(Figure11c,Table4).Othernoteworthysightingsincludedonecowcod(S.levis),oneyelloweyerockfish(S.ruberrimus),andonesharpchinrockfish(S.zacentrus).Numerousunidentifiedpoachers(Agonidae)andflatfisheswerealsoobserved.TwoPacifichagfishes(Eptatretusstoutii)wereobserved.Almostallfishobservationsoccurredoverhardsubstrate.Echinoderms,ArthropodsandMollusks

Highdensitiesofechinodermswereobservedthroughoutthehardsubstrate(~185perkm2,Table4).Fragileurchins(Allocentrotussp.)weremostabundant,withnumerousothersunstars(Solasteridae)andseastars(Asteroidea)present(Fig.11d).Severalbrachyurancrabs(mostlikelyspinykingcrabs,Paralithodescaliforniensis)werealsoobserved.Veryfewmolluskswerepresent.

Otherobservations

Severalpiecesofmarinedebriswereobserved,allofwhichappearedtobesubmarinecable(Fig.12).Additionalcomments

OurpreliminaryimpressionofthehabitatonthenorthernpartoftheFootballwasthathardsubstratewasreadilyavailable,butgrowthand/orrecruitmentofhabitat‐formingbenthicinvertebrateswerelimited.However,theFootballisalargehard‐bottomfeature,andwesurveyedonlyasmallportion,soonecannotnecessarilyexpecttheseresultstoapplytotheentirebank.MoreROVdivesonotherpartsof‘TheFootball’maybenecessarytoconfirmthisgeneralization.WerecommendthatfutureROVdiveson‘TheFootball’approachthefeaturefromthewest,inordertotakeadvantageoftheperspectivegainedbymovinguphillalongthegentleslopeandslightlyterracedtopography.

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Figure11.Relativeabundanceofpredominanttaxaat‘TheFootball’(10‐307A).Thetotalnumberofcolonies(forcoralsandsponges)orindividuals(forfishesandechinoderms)isindicatedoneachpanel.

a)

d)c)

b)

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Table4.Abundance(totalnumber)anddensity(numberperkm2)ofallorganisms

(groupedbyPhylumandClass)ineachmajorhabitattypeat‘TheFootball’(Dive10‐307A).


Cnidarians (Cnidaria) 9 9 7 7

Anthozoa 9 9 7 7

Urticina cf. coriacea Stubby rose anemone 5 5 4 4

Desmophyllum sp. Large cup coral 4 4 3 3

Sponges (Porifera) 30 30 25 22

Unknown 30 30 25 22

Porifera Sponge‐unidentified 30 30 25 22

Fishes (Chordata) 14 83 97 90 69 72



Pleuronectiformes Flatfish‐unidentified 4 12 16 26 10 12

Sebastes chlorostictus Greenspotted rockfish 3 13 16 19 11 12

Agonidae Poacher‐unidentified 2 12 14 13 10 10

Sebastes elongatus Greenstripe rockfish 10 10 8 7

Sebastomus sp. Rosy‐group rockfish 6 6 5 4

Teleostei Fish‐unidentified 3 3 6 19 2 4

Sebastes saxicola Stripetail rockfish 5 5 4 4

Eptatretus stoutii Pacific hagfish 2 2 2 1

Icelinus borealis Northern sculpin 1 1 6 1

Microstomus pacificus Dover sole 1 1 6 1

Sebastes levis Cowcod 1 1 1 1

Sebastes ruberrimus Yelloweye rockfish 1 1 1 1

Sebastes zacentrus Sharpchin rockfish 1 1 1 1

Echinoderms (Echinodermata) 251 251 209 185

Echinoidea 168 168 140 124

Allocentrotus sp. Urchin‐unidentified 168 168 140 124

Asteroidea 51 51 42 38

Solasteridae Sun star‐unidentified 23 23 19 17


Henricia leviuscula Blood star 7 7 6 5

Crinoidea 27 27 22 20

Crinoidea Crinoids‐unidentified 27 27 22 20

Ophiuroidea 5 5 4 4

Ophiuroidea Brittle star‐unidentified 5 5 4 4

Arthropods (Arthropoda) 7 7 6 5

Malacostraca 7 7 6 5

Brachyura Crab‐unidentified 6 6 5 4

Paguroidea Hermit crab‐unidentified 1 1 1 1

Mollusks (Mollusca) 4 4 3 3

Unknown 3 3 2 2

Mollusca Mollusk‐unidentified 3 3 2 2

Cephalopoda 1 1 1 1

Octopus sp. Octopus‐unidentified 1 1 1 1

Other 9 9 7 7

Unknown 9 9 7 7

Debris Marine debris 5 5 4 4

Shark egg cases Eggs 4 4 3 3

Grand Total 14 393 407 90 327 300


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Figure12.Selectphotosfromthediveatthe‘TheFootball’(10‐307A,Fromtoplefttobottomright):1)anunidentifiedsponge,2)abootspongeandsectionofsubmarinecable,and3)Desmophyllumcupcoral(upperleft)withagreenspottedrockfish(Sebasteschlorostictus)andacowcod(S.levis),and4)acatsharkeggcaseonafragileurchin(Allocentrotusfragilis.).

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CoquilleBank(Dive10‐308A)–11/04/2010Physicalenvironment

ThissiteonthesouthernportionofCoquilleBank(Fig.13)hasbeenreportedashavingahighabundanceofgorgonians(Strom2006).Theprimaryobjectivesofthisdiveweretocharacterizethegorgonianassemblageandtocollectvoucherspecimensforspeciesleveltaxonomy.Thesecondaryobjectivewastoground‐truthexistingsubstratemapsfromStrom(2006)thatweregeo‐referencedandplottedusingtheROVnavigationsystem.Theintentionwastoverifytheutilityofexistingsubstratemapsforrepeatsurveys.

Figure13.MapofthedivesiteatCoquilleBank(10‐308A).Pointsindicateobservationsof

variousspeciesgroupsfromstillphotographs.GreenandredpointsindicatethestartandendofeachROVtransect,respectively.Insetmapindicatesthelocationalongthecoast.

AwatercolumnprofilewascollectedusingtheCTD‐O(Fig.14).Theprofileindicated

surfacetemperaturesofapproximately11.5Cwithinthefirst20mofthewatercolumn,droppingtoauniformtemperatureof7Cbelow180mdepth.Salinitywasrelativelylow,increasingslightlyfrom33PSUatthesurfaceto34PSUbelow100mdepth.Dissolved

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oxygendroppedfrom9mgO2l‐1attheseasurfaceto3mgO2l‐1(~30%saturation)at220mdepth.

Figure14.Watercolumnprofilesoftemperature(blue),salinity(red),and

dissolvedoxygen(green)atCoquilleBank(10‐308A).

Duringthe2‐hoursurvey,theROVcoveredover850mofthicklysedimentedhabitatonCoquilleBankatanaveragedepthof~240m(Table1).Theseabedwasalmostentirelycomposedofsoftsubstrate(i.e.mud,Fig.15).Aportionofthedivewasspentinthewatercolumnabovetheseabed(~40%).Theseastatewasexcellent,butvisibilityonthebottomwaslimitedbymovingsediment.Thedivestartedatthesouthendofthefeature,movingnortheast,thenchangedcoursetowardnorthinordertoreplicatethegeneraltrajectoryofadivebytheDeltasubmersible(divenumber3688)in1993,asdescribedinStrom(2006).

Figure15.PercentandtotalareaofhabitatsurveyedatCoquilleBank(10‐308A).

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Densecoloniesofredseawhips(Euplexauramarki,~624coloniesperkm2)wereobservedthroughoutthesoftsubstrateduringthedive(Fig.16a,Table5),whichwasconsistentwiththepresenceofgorgoniansindicatedStrom(2006).Twovoucherspecimenswerecollectedforgeneticandmorphologicalidentification(samplessenttoBethHorvath,WestmontCollege,SantaBarbara,CAformorphology;andEwannBerntson,NOAANWFSC,Seattle,WAforgenetics).Voucherswerefirmlyattachedtoburiedsubstrate,andnoteasilycollectedusingthemanipulatorontheROV,whichsuggestedthathardsubstratelayunderneaththesoftsediment.ThelargerofthetwosamplesofE.markihadseveralamphipods.Amphipodswerecollectedandpreservedalongwiththespecimen.Thesizedistributionoftheamphipodswasbimodal,andthelargerindividualsappearedtobeovigerouswithbrightredeggmasses.Severalverycolorfulanemones(Urticinasp.)wereobservedwhensomerockswerepresent.PhotosofrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.17.

Sponges

Moderatedensitiesofunidentifiedspongeswereobserved(~35coloniesperkm2,Fig.16b,Table5).Onepieceofwhitespongewascollected,butthisspecimenwasflushedfromthebasketonretrieval.PhotosofrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.17.

Fishes

Unidentifiedflatfishes,mostlikelyslender(Lyopsettaexilis)andDoversoles(Microstomuspacificus),werethemostabundantfishes(Fig.16c,Table5).Othernoteworthyfishesincludednumerousshortspinethornyheads(Sebastolobusalascanus),severalaurora(S.aurora)andgreenstripedrockfishes(S.elongatus),andoneredbandedrockfish(S.babcocki).SeveralPacifichagfishes(E.stoutii)werealsoobserved.

Echinoderms,Arthropods,andMollusks

Unidentifiedseacucumbers(Holothuroidea)werethemostabundant(~86perkm2;Fig.16d,Table5),withnumerousotherunidentifiedseastars(Asteroidea),sunstars(Solasteridae),andonelargebasketstar(Gorgonocephaluseucnemis).PhotosofrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.17.

Otherobservations

Twocatsharkeggcaseswereobservedongorgonians,andonecatsharkeggcasewasattachedtoawhitesponge.

Additionalcomments

SubstratemapsfromStrom(2006)weregenerallyconsistentwithourobservations.WeobservedsoftsedimentwhereStromindicated‘mud’andweobservedrockswhereStromindicated‘rockswithsediment’Therefore,theprimaryandsecondaryobjectivesforthisdivewereaccomplished.

22

Figure16.RelativeabundanceofpredominanttaxaatCoquilleBank(Dive10‐

308A).Thetotalnumberofcolonies(forcoralsandsponges)orindividuals(forfishesandechinoderms)isindicatedoneachpanel.

a)

d)c)

b)

23

Table5.Abundance(totalnumber)anddensity(numberperkm2)ofbenthic

megafaunaandfishineachmajorhabitattypeatCoquilleBank(Dive10‐308A).



Anthozoa 564 564 624 624


Urticina cf. coriacea Stubby rose anemone 10 10 11 11


Unknown 32 32 35 35


Fishes (Chordata) 296 296 327 327

Actinopterygii 296 296 327 327

Pleuronectiformes Flatfish‐unidentified 153 153 169 169

Sebastolobus alascanus Shortspine thornyhead 71 71 79 79

Agonidae Poacher‐unidentified 60 60 66 66

Eptatretus stoutii Pacific hagfish 4 4 4 4


Sebastes aurora Aurora rockfish 2 2 2 2

Sebastes elongatus Greenstripe rockfish 2 2 2 2

Sebastes babcocki Redbanded rockfish 1 1 1 1

Echinoderms (Echinodermata) 131 131 145 145


Parastichopus spp. Sea cucumber‐unidentified 78 78 86 86

Asteroidea 51 51 56 56


Solasteridae Sun star‐unidentified 25 25 28 28

Gorgonocephalus eucnemis Basket star 1 1 1 1

Echinoidea 2 2 2 2

Allocentrotus sp. Urchin‐unidentified 2 2 2 2



Brachyura Crab‐unidentified 1 1 1 1


Gastropoda 1 1 1 1

Nudibranchia Nudibranch‐unidentified 1 1 1 1

Other 5 5 6 6

Unknown 5 5 6 6

Shark egg cases Eggs 5 5 6 6

Grand Total 1030 1030 1139 1139


24

Figure17.SelectedphotosfromCoquilleBank(Dive10‐308A):1)redwhipcoral(Euplexauramarki,right)withanattachedeggcase,andaJohnson’sseacucumber(Parastichopusjohnsoni,left)2)afanspongewithmanybrittlestars,3)severalcoloniesofredwhipcoral(E.marki),and4)anotherfanspongewithbrittlestars.

1

4

2

3

25

OCNMS‐Site1(Dive10‐309A)–11/05/2010Physicalenvironment

ThisdivesitewasrecommendedbyEdBowlby,ResearchCoordinatorofOCNMStosupplementongoingworksince2000tocharacterizebenthicseafloorcommunitiesandtoestablishessentialfishhabitat(EFH)inthesanctuary.ThesurveywasconductedwithinOCNMSSite72(hereincalledOCNMS‐Site1,Fig.18).Duringthis2‐hoursurvey,theROVtraversed1.5kmofboulderhabitatwithintermittentsandatanaveragedepthof110m(Table1).Thetransectstartedatthesouthendofthesiteandmovedtowardthenorthataspeedof0.3‐0.5knots.

Figure18.MapofthedivesiteattheOCNMS‐Site1(Dive10‐309A).Pointsindicateobservationsfromstillphotographs.Insetmapindicatesthelocationalongthecoast.Thedepthrangefortheentiretransectrangedfrom106‐116m.

AwatercolumnprofilefromtheCTD‐Oindicatedawell‐mixedsurfacelayerwithuniformsurfacetemperature,salinity,andoxygenwithinthefirst60mofthewatercolumn(Fig.19).Asharpthermoclinewasevidentat60mdepth.Salinitywaslowerthanothersites,increasingslightlyfrom32PSUatthesurfaceto34PSUbelow115mdepth.

26

Dissolvedoxygendroppedfrom9mgO2l‐1at60mdepthto4.2mgO2l‐1(~43%saturation)at115mdepth.


dissolvedoxygen(green)atOCNMS‐Site1(Dive10‐309A).Theseabedwasmostlyhardsubstratecomposedoflargeboulders(~57%total

area)interspersedwithsand(17%totalarea),pebbles(~22%totalarea),andcobble(~5%totalarea,Fig.20).Thebouldersappearedtobemostlybareexceptforsomeencrustingorganismsandafewsmalloctocoralcolonies(seebelow).

Figure20.PercentandtotalareaofhabitatsurveyedatOCNMS‐Site1(Dive10‐309A).

27


Relativelyfewcoloniesofcoralswereobservedatthissite(~4coloniesperkm2;Fig.21a,Table6).SeveralcoloniesofwhiteSwiftia(S.beringi)wereobservedonmixedandhardsubstrate.AfewFernaldbroodinganemones(Cribrinopsisfernaldi)andoneUrticinasp.anemonewerealsoobserved.PhotosofrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.22.

Sponges

Thedensityofsponges(allpresentlyunidentified)wasrelativelyhighatthissite(~33coloniesperkm2,Table6,Figure21b).Thedensityofspongeswasgreatestonmixed(~57coloniesperkm2)andhardsubstrates(~30coloniesperkm2).PhotosofrepresentativespeciesareshowninFig.22.

Fishes

Rockfisheswereabundantanddiverse(Figure21c),includingmanyaggregationsofyellowtail(Sebastesflavidus),rosethorn(S.helvomaculatus),redstripe(S.proriger),yelloweye(S.ruberrimus),greenstripe(S.elongatus),andtigerrockfishes(S.nigrocinctus)(Table6).PugetSoundrockfish(S.emphaeus),Pygmyrockfish(S.wilsoni),canary(S.pinniger),androugheyerockfishes(S.aleutianus)werealsopresent.Severallingcod(Ophiodonelongatus)andeightunidentifiedhagfishes(Myxinidae)werealsoobserved.

Echinoderms,Arthropods,andMollusks

Unidentifiedcrinoids(likelyFlorometraserratissima)wereverydenseonboulders(331perkm2),andtoalesserextentonmixedsubstrate(27perkm2)(Fig.21d,Table6).Severalthornystars(Poraniopsisinflata)andafewindividualsofotherseastarswereobservedonmixedandhardsubstrate.Numerousunidentifiedseacucumbers(Holothuroidea)werealsoobserved.Additionalcomments

Alargeabandonedtrawlnet(meshsizeof~15‐20cm)wasobservedatthenorthernendpointofthetransect(Fig.22).Thenetwasnotheavilyfouled,suggestingthatitmayhavebeenrecentlylost.

28

Figure21.RelativeabundanceofpredominanttaxaatOCNMS‐Site1(Dive10‐

309A).Thetotalnumberofcolonies(forcoralsandsponges)orindividuals(forfishesandechinoderms)isindicatedoneachpanel.

a)

d)c)

b)

29


megafaunaandfishineachmajorhabitattypeatOCNMS‐Site1(Dive10‐309A).


Cnidarians (Cnidaria) 7 10 17 7 5 4

Anthozoa 7 10 17 7 5 4

Swiftia beringi White Swiftia 5 8 13 5 4 3

Cribrinopsis fernaldi Fernald brooding anemone 2 1 3 2 0.5 1

Urticina cf. coriacea Stubby rose anemone 1 1 0.5 0.3

Sponges (Porifera) 5 59 65 129 8 57 30 33

Unknown 5 59 65 129 8 57 30 33

Porifera Sponge‐unidentified 5 59 65 129 8 57 30 33

Fishes (Chordata) 18 38 507 563 28 37 230 145

Actinopterygii 18 38 499 555 28 37 227 143

Sebastes flavidus Yellowtail rockfish 145 145 66 37

Sebastes sp. Rockfish‐unidentified 4 19 117 140 6 18 53 36

Sebastes helvomaculatus Rosethorn rockfish 1 4 74 79 2 4 34 20

Sebastes proriger Redstripe rockfish 3 1 65 69 5 1 30 18

Sebastomus sp. Rosy‐group rockfish 3 58 61 5 26 16

Sebastes ruberrimus Yelloweye rockfish 9 16 25 9 7 6

Sebastes nigrocinctus Tiger rockfish 8 8 4 2

Gobiidae Goby‐unidentified 3 1 3 7 5 1 1 2

Sebastes elongatus Greenstripe rockfish 3 3 6 5 3 2

Sebastes wilsoni Pygmy rockfish 4 4 2 1

Ophiodon elongatus Lingcod 3 3 1 1

Sebastes emphaeus Puget Sound rockfish 2 2 1 1

Icosteus aenigmaticus Ragfish 1 1 0.5 0.3

Pleuronectiformes Flatfish‐unidentified 1 1 2 0.3

Polylepion sp. Novum Wrasse‐undescribed 1 1 0.5 0.3

Sebastes aleutianus Rougheye rockfish 1 1 0.5 0.3

Teleostei Fish‐unidentified 1 1 1 0.3

Theragra chalcogramma Alaska pollock 1 1 0.5 0.3

Myxini 8 8 4 2

Myxinidae Hagfish‐unidentified 8 8 4 2

Echinoderms (Echinodermata) 6 35 760 801 9 34 345 207

Crinoidea 4 28 728 760 6 27 331 196

Florometra serratissima Feather star 4 28 728 760 6 27 331 196

Asteroidea 2 5 17 24 3 5 8 6

Asteroidea Sea star‐unidentified 1 1 9 11 2 1 4 3

Poraniopsis inflata Thorny star 1 3 5 9 2 3 2 2

Pteraster sp. Sea star‐unidentified 2 2 1 1

Henricia leviuscula Blood star 1 1 0.5 0.3

Pteraster tesselatus Cushion sea star 1 1 1 0.3

Holothuroidea 2 15 17 2 7 4

Parastichopus spp. Sea cucumber‐unidentified 2 15 17 2 7 4



Euphausiacea Euphausids 350 350 547 90

Brachyura Crab‐unidentified 1 1 2 0.3

Mollusks (Mollusca) 1 2 3 1 1 1

Unknown 1 1 2 1 0.5 1

Shell Mollusk shell‐unidentified 1 1 2 1 0.5 1

Gastropoda 1 1 0.5 0.3

Haliotis fulgens Green abalone 1 1 0.5 0.3

Other 1 1 2 1 0 1

Unknown 1 1 2 1 0 1

Debris Marine debris 1 1 1 0.3

Shark egg cases Eggs 1 1 0.5 0.3

Grand Total 380 141 1345 1866 593 137 611 482


30

Figure22.SelectedphotosfromOCNMS‐Site1(Dive10‐309A):1)spongesona

boulder,2)afansponge(topcenter)andSwiftiaberingi(leftofcenter)withseveralsquatlobsters,3)Swiftiaberingi,4)amixedspongeassemblageoncobblesubstrate,and5)aderelictfishingnet.

1 2

43

5

31

OCNMSSite2(Dive10‐309B)–11/05/2010Physicalenvironment

ThefinalROVsurveyoftheexpeditionwasanopportunisticdiveconductedeastofSite10withintheOCNMS(hereincalledOCNMS‐Site2,Fig.23).Thesitewasselectedbaseduponproximitytothetransitroutetowardsshoreandtopographicslope.TheROVtraversed250mofflatbottomsandyhabitatatanaveragedepthof240m,headingnorthtowardsa50mrise.

Figure23.MapofdivesiteatOCNMS‐Site2(Dive10‐309B).Pointsindicateobservationsofvariousspeciesgroupsfromstillphotographs.Insetmapindicatesthelocationalongthecoast.

32

AwatercolumnprofilewascollectedusingtheCTD‐O(Fig.24).Nodatawasavailableforthefirst40mofthedescent.Theprofilebelow50mindicateduniformtemperaturesbetween7and8Cdownto265m.Salinityincreasedslightlyfrom33PSUat50mdepthto34PSUbelow100mdepth.Dissolvedoxygendroppedfrom9mgO2l‐1at30mdepthto3.0mgO2l‐1(~31%saturation)at265mdepth.


dissolvedoxygen(green)atOCNMS‐Site2(Dive10‐309B).Theseabedwasmostlycomposedofmixed(cobble,~59%totalarea)andsoft

substrate(mud,~41%totalarea,Fig.25).AstheROVapproachedthegentleslope,thesubstrateturnedtocobblewithasoftsedimentveneer.

Figure25.PercentandtotalareaofhabitatsurveyedatOCNMS‐Site2(Dive10‐309B).

33


Theoveralldensityofcoralcoloniesatthissitewasrelativelylow(~10coloniesperkm2,Table7).Thecoralcommunitywasmostlycomposedofbranchedoctocoral,includingSwiftiaberingi,S.pacifica,Euplexauramarki,andonecolonyofPlumarellalongispinawithabundantcrustaceansonthecolonies(Figure26a).PhotosofrepresentativeseafanspeciesareshowninFig.27.

Sponges

Veryfewunidentifiedspongeswereobservedonmixedsubstrate(~2coloniesperkm2,Table7,Figure26b).AphotoofasmallvasespongeisshowninFig.27.

Fishes

Theoveralldensityoffisheswasrelativelylowatthissite(~27perkm2,Table7).Thefishcommunityatthissitewascomposedmostlyofflatfishes,andprimarilyDoversole(Microstomuspacificus,Fig.26c).Pacifichalibut(Hippoglossusstenolepis),rexsole(Glyptocephaluszachirus),slendersole(Lyopsettaexilis),andafewotherunidentifiedflatfishesweremostcommononsoftandmixedsubstrates.Severalothernotablefishesobservedduringthesurveyincludedshortspinethornyheads(Sebastolobusalascanus),Pacificoceanperch(Sebastesalutus),sablefish(Anoplopomafimbria),redbandedrockfish(S.babcocki),aurorarockfish(S.aurora),spottedratfish(Hydrolaguscolliei),andsandpaperskate(Bathyrajainterrupta).Echinoderms,Arthropods,andMollusks

Theseabedwasalmostentirelycoveredwithunidentifiedbrittlestars(Ophiuroidea,~884perkm2),spotprawns(Pandalusplatyceros,~203perkm2),andfragileurchins(Allocentrotussp.,~190perkm2;Fig.26d,Table7).Thesethreespeciesoccupiednearly80%ofthevisibleseaflooronsoftsubstrate.Squatlobsters(Munidaquadrispina)werecommonlyobservedonornearoctocoralcolonies(Fig.27).Severalotherunidentifiedseastars(Asteroidea),seacucumbers(Holothuroidea),andonesunflowerstar(Pycnopodiasp.)werealsoobserved.

34

Figure26.RelativeabundanceofpredominanttaxaatOCNMS‐Site2(10‐309B).

Thetotalnumberofcolonies(forcoralsandsponges)orindividuals(forfishesandechinoderms)isindicatedoneachpanel.

a)

d)c)

b)

35


megafaunaandfishineachmajorhabitattypeatOCNMS‐Site2(Dive10‐309B).



Anthozoa 26 26 17 10

Swiftia beringi White Swiftia 16 16 11 6

Swiftia pacifica Red Swiftia 7 7 5 3


Plumarella longispina Plumarella soft coral 1 1 1 0.4


Unknown 6 6 4 2


Fishes (Chordata) 21 48 69 20 32 27


Microstomus pacificus Dover sole 9 8 17 8 5 7

Pleuronectiformes Flatfish‐unidentified 11 11 7 4

Sebastolobus alascanus Shortspine thornyhead 8 8 5 3

Hippoglossus stenolepis Pacific halibut 1 5 6 1 3 2

Agonidae Poacher‐unidentified 1 4 5 1 3 2

Sebastes alutus Pacific ocean perch 4 1 5 4 1 2

Anoplopoma fimbria Sablefish 2 1 3 2 1 1

Glyptocephalus zachirus Rex Sole 3 3 2 1

Lycodes cortezianus Bigfin eelpout 3 3 2 1

Lyopsetta exilis Slender sole 2 2 2 1

Sebastes aurora Aurora rockfish 1 1 1 0.4

Sebastes babcocki Redbanded rockfish 1 1 1 0.4

Sebastes sp. Rockfish‐unidentified 1 1 1 0.4

Teleostei Fish‐unidentified 1 1 1 0.4

Chondrichthyes 1 1 2 1 1 1

Bathyraja interrupta Sandpaper skate 1 1 1 0.4

Hydrolagus colliei Spotted ratfish 1 1 1 0.4

Echinoderms (Echinodermata) 2503 339 2842 2343 225 1104

Ophiuroidea 2230 46 2276 2088 31 884

Ophiuroidea Brittle star‐unidentified 2230 46 2276 2088 31 884

Echinoidea 271 219 490 254 145 190

Allocentrotus sp. Urchin‐unidentified 271 219 490 254 145 190

Asteroidea 2 45 47 2 30 18

Asteroidea Sea star‐unidentified 2 44 46 2 29 18

Pycnapodia sp. Sunflower star‐unidentified 1 1 1 0.4


Parastichopus spp. Sea cucumber‐unidentified 29 29 19 11

Artropods (Arthropoda) 476 167 643 446 111 250

Malacostraca 476 167 643 446 111 250

Pandalus platyceros Spot prawn 449 73 522 420 48 203

Munida quadrispina Squat lobster 94 94 62 37

Euphausiacea Euphausids 27 27 25 10


Unknown 29 29 19 11

Mollusca Mollusk‐unidentified 29 29 19 11

Algae (Phaeophyta) 2 2 1 1

Phaeophyceae 2 2 1 1

Laminariaceae Kelp‐unidentified 2 2 1 1

Other 3 3 2 1

None 3 3 2 1

Debris Marine debris 3 3 2 1

Grand Total 3000 620 3620 2809 412 1406


36

Figure27.SelectphotosfromOCNMS‐Site2(10‐309B):1)Swiftiapacifica,2)Plumarellasp.,3)Swiftiaberingi(left)withaseaurchin(Allocentrotusfragilis,right)andsquatlobsters,and4)asmallvasespongewithsquatlobsters.

1

43

2

37

AdditionalCommentsonROVOperations:PhantomROVoperationsfromtheFSVBellM.Shimadawereextremelysuccessful.

The‘permanent’installationoftheUSBLtransceiverontheship’scenterboardgreatlyreducedthetimerequiredtodeploytheROVandalsoimprovedthequalityoftrackinginformationbyreducingacousticinterferencefrombubblesoriginatingfromtheship’spropellerduringnormaloperations.Newlaunchandrecoverymethodssuggestedbytheship’sdeckcrewimprovedtheoverallROVoperation.Theship’sDPwasaninvaluableassetthat1)enabledustopreciselyreturntogeo‐locatedpositionsontheseafloorforbiologicalsampling,and2)greatlyimprovedROVsurveycapabilitiesbyenablingtheshiptopreciselyfollowasurveylineforaspecifieddistanceatachosencourseandspeed.ThenewFSVplatformsareprovingtobethemosteffectivevesselsforROVsurveysavailableontheWestCoast.

Appendix1.Logofcoralsamplescollectedbyorrelevanttothiscruise.

Acknowledgements:

Thiscruisewouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutfundingandassistancefromavarietyofsources.ShiptimeaboardtheFSVBellM.ShimadawasprovidedbyNOAA’sOfficeofMarineandAviationOperations.TheofficersandcrewoftheFSVBellM.Shimadagreatlycontributedtothesuccessofthisexpedition.FundingforDr.EtnoyerwasprovidedthroughaFellowshipgrantfromtheSchmidtOceanInstitute.Kindthankstothemanuscript’sreviewersE.Bowlby,M.Yoklavich,andD.DorfmanofNOAA.Theircommentsandsuggestionsgreatlyimprovedthemanuscript.

LiteratureCited

GreeneHG,YoklavichMM,StarrRM,O'ConnellVM,WakefieldWW,SullivanDE,McReaJ,

CaillietGM(1999)Aclassificationschemefordeepseafloorhabitats.OceanolActa22:663‐678

PinkardD,KocakDM,ButlerJL(2005)Useofavideoandlasersystemtoquantifytransectareaforremotelyoperatedvehicle(ROV)rockfishandabalonesurveys.MTS/IEEEOCEANS'053:2824‐2829

StierhoffKL,ButlerJL,KocakDM,Pinkard‐MeierD,MurfinDW(Inprep.)Towardimprovedsearchareaestimationduringunderwaterstriptransectsurveysofmarineorganisms.

StromNA(2006)Structure‐formingbenthicinvertebrates:HabitatdistributionsonthecontinentalmarginofOregonandWashington.Master'sthesis,OregonStateUniversity,96p

Number Collection date Sample Number Species ID Authority Site Latitude Longitude Depth (m) Disposition

001 10/29/10 BS 2010 001 Dendrophyllia sp. Butler 43 Fathom Bank SW 32.65500 ‐117.97167 78 Berntson

002 11/04/10 BS 2010 004 Euplexaura markii Horvath Coquille Bank 42.90777 ‐124.85535 257 Berntson

003 11/04/10 BS 2010 005 Euplexaura markii Horvath Coquille Bank 42.90777 ‐124.85535 250 Berntson

004 11/05/10 BS 2010 007 Swiftia pacifica Horvath OCNMS 48.16467 ‐125.23077 230 Berntson

005 06/24/10 M2 2010 001 Plumarella longispina Horvath Cordell Bank slope 38.03949 ‐123.52154 328 Berntson

38

ScientificPersonnel

JohnButler,PhD NOAA‐NMFS ROVOperations,ChiefScientistKevinStierhoff,PhD NOAA‐NMFS ROVOperationsPeterEtnoyer,PhD NOAA‐NCCOS DeepCoralExpertDavidMurfin NOAA‐NMFS ROVOperationsScottMau NOAA‐NMFS ROVOperations

Lefttoright:KevinStierhoff,ScottMau,JohnButler,DavidMurfin,andPeterEtnoyer

United States Department of Commerce Gary F. Locke

Secretary

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Jane Lubchenco

Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere,

NOAA Administrator

National Ocean Service David Kennedy

Assistant Administrator (Acting)

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