MLPA baseline: Subtidal: Community Surveys: Fish Surveys

Benthic surveys are comprised of three components, all sampled along the same
transects: (1) uniform point contact (UPC) estimates of benthic cover
and substrate characteristics, (2) swath transects to estimate the
density of kelps and macroinvertebrates and (3) quadrat sampling
to estimate the density of recruits of selected invert species,
small invertebrates, cyrptic fishes and recruit macroalgae. This metadata
record documents the swath transects for PISCO subtidal benthic community
surveys. Swath sampling consists of recording the number of
selected invertebrate and algal species on 2m x 30m transects.
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 stretch of coastline, occupying approximately
500m. Originally, each site was divided into 2 halves (sides), each comprised of
12 transects startified across the four zones described above.
Starting in 2007, many new sites were added for monitoring MPAs established
by the MLPA along the coast of central California. These MLPA sites are
equivalent of one "side" of the orignal PISCO sites (i.e. 12 transects).