Abstract
As climate change and other anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems accelerate in the 21st century, there is an increasing need for sustained ocean time series. A robust and collaborative network of regional monitoring programs can detect early signs of unanticipated changes, provide a more holistic understanding of ecosystem responses, and prompt faster management actions. Fisheries-related surveys that collect fisheries-independent data (hereafter referred to as “fisheries surveys”) are a key pillar of sustainable fisheries management and are ubiquitous in the United States and other countries. From the perspective of ocean observing, fisheries surveys offer three key strengths: (1) they are sustained due to largely consistent funding support from federal and state public sector fisheries agencies, (2) they collect paired physical, chemical, and biological data, and (3) they have large and frequently overlapping spatial footprints that extend into the offshore region. Despite this, information about fisheries survey data collection can remain poorly known to the broader academic and ocean observing communities. During the 2019 CalCOFI Symposium, marking the 70th anniversary of the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI), representatives from 21 ocean monitoring programs on the North American West Coast came together to share the status of their monitoring programs and examine opportunities to leverage efforts to support regional ecosystem management needs. To increase awareness about collected ocean observing data, we catalog these ongoing ocean time series programs and detail the activities of the nine major federal or state fisheries surveys on the U.S. West Coast. We then present three case studies showing how fisheries survey data contribute to the understanding of emergent ecosystem management challenges: marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, and contaminant spills. Moving forward, increased cross-survey analyses and cooperation can improve regional capacity to address emerging challenges. Fisheries surveys represent a foundational blueprint for ecosystem monitoring. As the international community moves toward a global strategy for ocean observing needs, fisheries survey programs should be included as data contributors.
Highlights
Sustained ocean time series are essential for characterizing marine ecosystem shifts and distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic forcing in the ocean but maintaining these time series is costly and requires lasting investment (Benway et al, 2019)
The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the value and breadth of ocean observing and ecosystem monitoring data collected by fisheries surveys, using the U.S West Coast as an example
To improve coordination with the international ocean observing community, we indicate the essential ocean variables (EOVs) (Table 4), essential climate variables (ECVs) (Table 5), and essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) (Table 6) that are collected by U.S West Coast fisheries surveys
Summary
Sustained ocean time series are essential for characterizing marine ecosystem shifts and distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic forcing in the ocean but maintaining these time series is costly and requires lasting investment (Benway et al, 2019). Fisheries-related surveys that collect fisheries-independent data (hereafter referred to as “fisheries surveys”) are a key pillar of sustainable fisheries management in the United States, Europe, Peru, Chile, Norway, India, Canada, Japan, and other countries. In addition to collecting data on fisheries species, these surveys typically collect physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic data over both long periods of time and large regional scales. Fisheries surveys can provide a rich source of ocean time series data for monitoring ecosystem change because surveys in a region typically sample different habitats (seafloor to upper water column), life stages (eggs and larvae to adults), and rely on multiple in situ methodologies (e.g., acoustics, plankton tows, and trawls). Differences in approaches relate to which target species or species group each survey is designed to monitor. Despite the wealth of ocean observations collected by fisheries surveys, they are not always integrated as part of ocean observing systems
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
