Evaluating Rockfish Conservation Areas in southern British Columbia, Canada using a Random Forest model of rocky reef habitat

Haggarty, Dana; Yamanaka, Lynne

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2018.05.011

Cited by 16 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…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%

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: 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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“…Sampling targeted rocky reefs, the preferred habitat for most Sebastidae 38 , which we located through local Indigenous knowledge or a bathymetric model 49 . Data were collected by four fishery-independent methods—shallow diver transects, mid-depth video transects, deep video transects, and hook-and-line sampling—detailed in earlier publications 32 – 35 , 50 , 51 and summarized in Table 1 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hotspots for rockfishes, structural corals, and large-bodied sponges along the central coast of Pacific Canada

Frid

McGreer²,

Wilson³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Biological hotspots are places with outstanding biodiversity features, and their delineation is essential to the design of marine protected areas (MPAs). For the Central Coast of Canada’s Northern Shelf Bioregion, where an MPA network is being developed, we identified hotspots for structural corals and large-bodied sponges, which are foundation species vulnerable to bottom contact fisheries, and for Sebastidae, a fish family which includes species that are long-lived (> 100 years), overexploited, evolutionary distinctive, and at high trophic levels. Using 11 years of survey data that spanned from inland fjords to oceanic waters, we derived hotspot indices that accounted for species characteristics and abundances and examined hotspot distribution across depths and oceanographic subregions. The results highlight previously undocumented hotspot distributions, thereby informing the placement of MPAs for which high levels of protection are warranted. Given the vulnerability of the taxa that we examined to cumulative fishery impacts, prospective MPAs derived from our data should be considered for interim protection measures during the protracted period between final network design and the enactment of MPA legislations. These recommendations reflect our scientific data, which are only one way of understanding the seascape. Our surveys did not cover many locations known to Indigenous peoples as biologically important. Consequently, Indigenous knowledge should also contribute substantially to the design of the MPA network.

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“…One of the challenges in MSP in Canada has been the lack of sufficient fine-resolution special data for assessing the suitability of a habitat for conservation [63,64]. In this regard, Ban et al ( 2009) studied scientific and community-based approaches in marine-protected area sites for selection in two regions in British Colombia, Canada.…”

Section: Msp In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft vs. Hard Sustainability Approach in Marine Spatial Planning: Challenges and Solutions

Rezaei,

Contestabile,

Vicinanza

et al. 2024

Water

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Hitherto, over 50% of countries with marine waters have established MSPs or launched related legal actions. However, there are still conceptual and practical challenges to be overcome in the development of MSP. In this study, we investigate two main approaches in MSP (hard vs. soft sustainability) through reports, published manuscripts and meeting proceedings in seven pioneering countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada). We highlight the gaps, challenges, and solutions in each of these approaches. From our findings, there are four common challenges in both soft and hard sustainability approaches as follows: (i) the political framework and inconsistent support of MSP efforts, (ii) insufficient knowledge on social dimensions, (iii) insufficient stakeholder engagement in the diversity of stakeholder’s groups or in their contribution to the planning process from the initial steps, and (iv) finding a balance between environmental conservation and economic growth. We recommend that future studies should investigate how MSP can become more adaptive to long-term environmental and economic targets, how effective involving socioeconomic strata is in MSP, and how decision-making tools could help to cover the gaps in MSP. Furthermore, public forums are suggested to be developed to facilitate the systematic sharing of MSP experiences worldwide.

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Evaluating Rockfish Conservation Areas in southern British Columbia, Canada using a Random Forest model of rocky reef habitat

Cited by 16 publications

References 53 publications

Nearshore seascape connectivity enhances seagrass meadow nursery function

Nearshore seascape connectivity enhances seagrass meadow nursery function

Hotspots for rockfishes, structural corals, and large-bodied sponges along the central coast of Pacific Canada

Soft vs. Hard Sustainability Approach in Marine Spatial Planning: Challenges and Solutions

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