Jason Krumholz

Graduate School of Oceanography- University of Rhode Island

RI SURFRIDER- Robert Lloyd Scholarship Presentation

5/16/06

Experimental methods of quantifying and monitoring ecological response to no-take marine reserves in Northeastern

National Parks

What is a Marine Protected Area?

“ to protect the significant natural and cultural resources within the marine environment for the benefit of present and future generations by strengthening and expanding the Nation’s system of marine protected areas.”

Presidential Executive Order #13158

“any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by Federal, State, territorial, tribal, or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein.”

Federal Register. 2000. Executive Order #13158 Vol. 65, No. 105. Wednesday, May 31, 2000

Reviewing the options...Reviewing the options...

www.mpa.gov/information_tools

National Park Service Northeast National Park Service Northeast RegionRegion

200 0 200 Kilometers

Acadia

Boston Harbor Is

Cape Cod

Sagamore Hill

Fire Island

Gateway

Assateague Island

Colonial

George Washington Birthplace

The Project...The Project...Goal:Goal: Review scientific methods for justifying and Review scientific methods for justifying and

monitoring no-take reserves in Northeast monitoring no-take reserves in Northeast National ParksNational Parks

• Site Selection

•Ecosystem Response

•Fisheries Response

•Monitoring

•Modeling

Primary Focus

Secondary Focus

ChallengesChallenges

Fire Island National SeashoreFire Island National Seashore

Maps and Data: Henn & Cullen. 2004 USACE/TNC Conference

Figure 1. Hard Clams

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Year

Land

ings

(Tho

usan

ds o

f Bus

hels

) Babylon Islip Brookhaven(GSB)

Ecosystem Response ToolboxEcosystem Response Toolbox

Water Quality (oxygen, chlorophyll, Nutrients)Water Quality (oxygen, chlorophyll, Nutrients)

Habitat Quality (eelgrass, sediment chemistry)Habitat Quality (eelgrass, sediment chemistry)

Species Richness / DiversitySpecies Richness / Diversity

Benthic Infauna (Polychaetes)Benthic Infauna (Polychaetes)

Modeling (Ecosystem, Fisheries)Modeling (Ecosystem, Fisheries)

PolychaetesPolychaetes

Simple to CollectSimple to Collect Multiple UsesMultiple Uses

AbundanceAbundance DiversityDiversity Indicator SpeciesIndicator Species

ShortfallsShortfalls Time consumingTime consuming High taxonomic res.High taxonomic res.

How can we apply How can we apply this to MPA’s?this to MPA’s?

A. Giangrande et.al. Mar Pollut Bull. 2005 50(11):1153-62.

1 Pinnegar, J.K., et.al. 2000. Trophic cascades in benthic ecosystems: lesson for fisheries and protected-area management. Environmental Conservation 27 (2), 179–200.

Trophic Cascade Theory1

More BigFish

Less Little

Fish

More

Polychaetes

Less Predation

Ecosystem Health Theory2

2 A. Giangrande et.al. Mar Pollut Bull. 2005 50(11):1153-62.

Less Disturbance

Higher Ecosystem Health

Less Opportunists

More Diversity

More Polychaetes

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)

Single metric for ecosystem health/changeSingle metric for ecosystem health/change Simplifies a lot of data into a single indexSimplifies a lot of data into a single index

Sometimes over-simplifiesSometimes over-simplifies

Used extensively in coral reef ecosystemsUsed extensively in coral reef ecosystems

Attempted for Narr. Bay (Meng et. al., 2002)Attempted for Narr. Bay (Meng et. al., 2002)

How useful is this tool?How useful is this tool?

ModelingModeling

Particularly useful in a fisheries and Particularly useful in a fisheries and reserve establishment contextreserve establishment context

Generally show reserves most effective at:Generally show reserves most effective at:• Moderate size (10-25% of habitat)Moderate size (10-25% of habitat)• Moderate to high fishing pressureModerate to high fishing pressure• Low migration rateLow migration rate• High dispersal rate of larvaeHigh dispersal rate of larvae

Most highly adaptable models lack fine Most highly adaptable models lack fine scale resolutionscale resolution

EcospaceEcospace

T.A. Okey et al. / Ecological Modelling 172 (2004) 383–401

Conclusions• Many techniques from tropical studies can

be adapted for use in the Northeast Region• Some techniques will have reduced

effectiveness in temperate ecosystems• NPS must consider scientific programs of

study on a park by park basis based on specific reserve goals

• NPS should consider increased use of benthic infaunal sampling

• Models are a viable synthetic tool for reserve management, particularly in a fisheries context

Acknowledgements

• Dr. Charles Roman (NPS)

• Dr. Candace Oviatt (GSO)

• Kate Smukler (MPA center)

• Cliff McCreedy & Gary Davis (NPS)

Photo Credits: Brooke Longval, Eric Klos, Charles Roman, J.C. Shou

Funding From: Coastal Institute IGERT Program

Matt horn is gay

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

ANY QUESTIONS

?