Monitoring Framework for Oregon's Marine Reserves

In 2008, the state of Oregon began a process to designate and implement a limited system of marine reserve sites within state waters. The biological goal is to conserve marine habitats and biodiversity and to provide a framework for scientific research and monitoring.  In 2009, the Oregon Legislature mandated the designation of two pilot marine reserve sites and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) established a Marine Reserves Program, including staff responsible for the design and implementation of a Biological Monitoring Program. The Monitoring Program is designed for the long-term monitoring of Oregon’s marine reserve system. Monitoring is to provide information for the evaluation of marine reserves and be used to support nearshore resource management, including management of fisheries.

The Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve and Marine Protected Area were developed for nearshore groundfish species, predominantly caught in the live fish fishery.  The Otter Rock Marine Reserve was developed to protect the unique ecology and potential juvenile groundfish habitat of the site.  These two pilot sites will be closed to extractive uses once baseline data have been collected and will serve as reference areas over time, enabling the measurement of change due to natural influence versus those caused by human induced stressors.  In 2010 we conducted baseline surveys at the two pilot sites to assess oceanographic condition, characterize habitat and determine species presence, abundance and distribution within the reserves and associated comparison areas.  We present here the design framework and methods employed as well as summer oceanographic conditions, habitat characterization, species abundance and distributional data.  From the baseline studies and analyses we will implement long-term monitoring from which to evaluate changes in habitat, invertebrate and demersal fish populations.