UPC_surveys_kelp_shallow _reefs

Reef Check California (RCCA) surveys consist of visual surveys performed by scuba divers. At each site, buddy teams of divers conduct eighteen 30 m x 2 m benthic transects, to monitor key species of fishes (35 species), invertebrates (33 species) and algae (5 species & 4 invasive species) and to characterize the reef substrate and relief. Each site is divided into two "zones" by depth (shallow 5-12 meters and deep 12-18 meters - or from offshore to inshore at sites with little depth variation) to assure that samples are distributed across the face of a reef from inshore to offshore. RCCA’s survey methods are based on visual census survey methods developed by the Partnership of Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) and have been modified so that they can be taught in a reasonable amount of time to volunteer scuba divers. Species are selected because of their ecological or economic importance or because they are of specific management interest. Uniform Point Contact (UPC) surveys are conducted on 6 transects per site (3 transects in each zone). At each of 30 uniformly spaced points along the 30 meter long transect substrate, cover and relief are recorded. For a complete description of the UPC sampling methods see the RCCA monitoring protocol at: http://reefcheck.org/rcca/monitoring_protocol.php.