PISCO: Subtidal: Community Surveys: Oregon Reserves: Size Frequency Surveys

This metadata record documents the size frequency survey component of PISCO subtidal community surveys done as part of the baseline monitoring program for the Oregon pilot marine reserves at Redfish Rocks, Otter Rock and associated comparison areas in late August 2010. Monitoring was funded by a grant from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife through Oregon State University. Size frequency sampling consists of recording the number and size of target invertebrate species (urchins of the genus Strongylocentrotus and abalone of the genus Haliotis). Indivduals are encountered and recorded either as part of normal swath surveys, or during random swims anywhere within the survey site. Size frequency surveys are part of subtidal community structure surveys conducted at each site, which quantified substrate type and relief, benthic cover, abundance of major groups of macroalgae and invertebrates, and abundance and size of fishes and harvested invertebrate species. Spatial allocation of sampling is designed to measure year-to-year site-wide variability in community structure and the spatial scales at which such variation occurs. A site is normally defined as a fixed stretch of coastline, occupying approximately 500m. Each site contains 12 fish transects stratified over four depth zones or 6 benthic (algae and invertebrate) transects stratified over three depth zones.