Fish surveys in shallow rocky reefs and kelp forest habitats

This metadata record documents the fish surveys for kelp forest community surveys. Fish sampling consists of recording the number and size of all non-cryptic fishes on transects. At each sampling location bottom' and mid-water, transects are surveyed. Dimensions for all transects are 2m x 2m x 30m. Subtidal community structure surveys are conducted annually at all sites during the summer or early fall, and quantify substrate type and relief, benthic cover, abundance of major groups of macroalgae and invertebrates, and abundance and size of fishes. 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 defined as a fixed area of coastline comprised of 3 cells, each occupying approximately 500m. Each cell is comprised of 12 transects stratified across the four zones described below.