Monitoring and Evaluation of Mid-Depth Rock Ecosystems in the California MLPA Marine Protected Area Network: ROV Dataset

The mid-depth (30–100 m) rock ecosystem in California coastal waters provides a variety of ecosystem goods and services. Populations of species in this ecosystem are greatly affected by the high variability of productivity of the California Current as well as commercial and recreational fishing activities. Many species that live in this ecosystem are slow growing and experience sporadically large fluctuations in survival of young, causing large variations in populations. These natural oscillations in population abundance often make it difficult to quantify population trends. To address how fish and invertebrate populations in mid-depth habitats responded to the implementation of MPAs, we compiled data from a variety of video camera systems, including Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV), Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) and Tethered Video Landers. Additionally, we used California’s seafloor mapping products to identify habitat characteristics that affect populations of key fish and invertebrate species. This dataset contains information from our ROV analyses. The boundaries for the MPAs referenced in this dataset and information on related long-term California MPA monitoring efforts can be found here: https://opc.dataone.org/view/doi:10.25494/P6V884