Final technical report - North Central Coast baseline surveys of kelp forest ecosystems

Kelp forests are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth, and provide habitat for a wide array of fishes and invertebrates, many of which are commercially and recreationally important. Kelp forests also support a variety of recreational and commercial activities, including fishing, SCUBA diving, boating, and wildlife viewing. In addition to the structure provided by the underlying rocky reef, canopy-forming kelps and understory algae create complex habitat structure that provides food and refuge for many other species. To characterize kelp forests inside and outside of the recently established MPAs of the north-central coast of California, we use visual SCUBA surveys to assess habitat characteristics of the rocky substrate and the major players in the kelp forest community, including fishes, mobile and sessile invertebrates, and algae. Depending on the morphology and lifestyle of each species, abundance was estimated using swath surveys that count individuals within a defined area, or uniform point contact surveys that estimate the percent cover of colonial and other species for which distinguishing individuals is challenging. The baseline characterization surveys of kelp forest ecosystems conducted in 2010-2011 included roughly 35 sites sampled each year across six MPAs: Point Arena SMR, Sea Lion Cove SMCA, Saunders Reef SMCA, Del Mar SMR, Stewarts Point SMR and Salt Point SMCA