Marilyn LattaEden Landing Working Group

October 27, 2009

Subtidal Habitat Update Eden Landing Living Shoreline Project Ideas

Historical Abundance

Commercial oyster farmsEden Landing

Dungeness crab fisherySalmon fleet

Bay shrimp fishery

Hunting and shellmounds

Hydrographic surveys

The Albatross surveys

Steelhead streams

Habitats in San Francisco Bay

• Tidal marsh ~40,000 acres• Tidal flats ~30,000 acres• Eelgrass beds ~3,000 acres• Native oyster and other shellfish beds (?)• Creeks – over 1,000 miles

• Shallow and deep subtidal ~250,000 acres

Photo credits: www.lorenz-avelar.com

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

Artificial Structures

Shellfish Beds

Sandy shoals

Mud/silt/clay/shell mix

Pebble/cobble/gravel

Rocky Outcrops

Algal Beds

Photo credits: www.bluewaterimages.com

Oakland

Benicia

Richmond

San Rafael

San Francisco

September 2009

0 2.5

Miles

0 2.5

Kilometers

California Department of Fish & Game San Francisco Bay Bathymetry (Feet)

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Restoration Sites1

Oyster Restoration Site

Documented Intertidal Oysters2

Creosote Pilings (DRAFT - for graphics only)

Road

Current Estimated Range of Subtidal Oyster Distribution

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Habitat3

Agar (Gracilaria) Habitat4

1Boyer (unpub.)2Harris, 2004;Smithsonian/UC Davis; Attoe, 2008; traylor-Dutra; Grosholz, 2008; Caltrans, 2009.3Merkel, 2003, 2009.4NOAA, ORR, Environmental Sensitivity Index, 2006 .

0 - 33 - 1212 - 2020 - 30

30 - 4040 - 5555 - 6565 - 80

80 - 100100 - 150150 - 282

GIS Maps Being Produced

• Subtidal Habitat Types• Habitat Stressors• Informed Siting of Projects

Subtidal Habitat Conceptual ModelsWim Kimmerer

Functional Connections Across Habitats

Habitats and Function are Linked• Watershed: elevational gradient of sediments• Sloughs/channels: hydrology, food, larval transport• Offshore shoals: shallow water spawning/rearing• Estuary wide: Migratory and feeding routes

Species use multiple depths and vegetation types• invertebrates, crabs, shrimps, shellfish• herring, salmon, smelt, sturgeon, rays, sharks• shorebirds, diving ducks and waterfowl• marine mammals

Ecosystem-based Approach• arrays of natural habitat types• multiple objectives

Graphic: www.baynature.org

Transition Zones on Both Edges

Upland transition Subtidal transition

Wetland edges: sand bars, shell beds, kelp and eelgrass fringe, rocky intertidal

Increase Subtidal Design Integration

shoreline-tidal-submerged habitats

Design Integration1. Reduce habitat fragmentation, increase connectivity

2. Plan for more shallow water habitat and maximum edges

3. Design gradual slopes and a variety of topography

4. Pay attention to “subtidal transition zones”

5. Optimize natural sediments to promote self-maintenance

Artificial Structures6. Reduce and modify hard structures to protect habitat

Increase Subtidal Design Integration

shoreline-tidal-submerged habitats

Monitor existing native species7. Survey existing subtidal resources and species

use8. Enhance current habitat for aquatic species9. Restore offshore shellfish, eelgrass beds, fish

habitats

Manage invasive species10. Survey for Aquatic Invasive Species11. When feasible, eradicate invasives

Control marine debris12. Identify trash hot spots, prevent sources of

debris

Photograph at low tides13. Photomonitor sites at extreme low tides

Native Olympia Oysters:Ostrea conchaphila

Habitat Engineers:

• Range: Chile to Alaska

• Small: usually 1.5 - 2”, some to 3”

• Attach to shell, hard substrate, mud/cobble

• Planktonic larvae, settle in embayments

• Filter feeders, water quality

• Co-evolved with natives, key niche space

• Food source for other invertebrates, birds, fish

2007 Native Oyster Recruitment

Native Eelgrass:Zostera marina

Habitat Builders:

• sediment infauna (clams, worms, etc.)

• epibenthic invertebrates (sponges, etc.)

• fishes (pipefish, anchovy, etc.)

Traps sediments, reduces erosion

Breeding ground for Pacific herring

Foraging area for dungeness crabs, birds,

& marine mammals

Two Marin Restoration Sites: > 10,000 new shoots

Assessment ProjectsNative Eelgrass, Shellfish, and Creosote Pilings

Eelgrass and Shellfish: Ecosystem Engineers• niche space for invertebrates• fish forage and spawning• habitat for Dungeness crabs, salmon, diving ducks & marine mammals

Project Elements:• Key functions• Restoration methods• Bay-wide acreage goals• Priority areas for research

Creosote and Artificial Structures:• benefits and impacts of pilings• proposed action plan• potential removal, encapsulation

Living Shorelines: A soft bioengineering approach

Living Space: employ natural habitat elements to protect shorelines from erosion while also providing water quality benefits and critical habitat.

Living Shorelines: Issues for study in SF Bay• Scale: what acreage is needed to slow wave action?• Suitability: must be matched to site conditions• Permitting: fill considerations in the subtidal zone• Monitoring: functional connections between habitats• Pilot: test effectiveness thru experimental designs

Katharyn Boyer, SFSU

Robert Abbott, Environ

Proposed Eden Landing Project May 2010- May 2011:• Monitor existing populations

• Final Design and Permitting

Summer 2011:• Install two acre project

2011- 2013 Monitoring Tasks:Number of oysters recruited/year; number of adults persisting/yearNumber of eelgrass shoots propagated/year, persisting/year

Presence/absence and diversity of species use (epifauna, fish, birds) at the treatment sites and at control sites at each location

Measurement of change in sedimentation rates between subtidal treatments and marsh/riparian edge, at the treatment sites and at control sites

Measurement of change in flow velocity rates between subtidal treatments and marsh/riparian edge, at the treatment sites and at control sites

Marilyn Latta, Project ManagerSubtidal Habitat Goals ProjectState Coastal Conservancy510.286.4157mlatta@scc.ca.gov

Thank You