Preliminary Results of a Statewide ROV Survey of California's Rocky Habitats Combining Marine Protected Area Monitoring with Fished Species Assessment Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle

In 2014 California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) initiated a three year statewide visual survey of rocky habitats using a Remotely Operated Vehicle. The study will investigate baseline fish abundance and distribution inside and outside of marine protected areas (MPAs) and assess rocky habitats important to near shore commercial and recreational species.  This survey revisits regions previously studied after MPA implementation in the southern California bight and central California from Pt. Arena to Pt. Conception.  In northern California, MPAs and fished areas were surveyed in collaboration with MPA baseline surveys from Pt. Saint George to Pt. Arena.  Video strip transect methodologies and processing techniques developed by CDFW and MARE are being employed to generate density estimates of fish and invertebrates with high spatial specificity.  Stereographic sizing with one centimeter accuracy is also being performed on key species.  When complete, data from this unprecedented statewide survey will allow investigation of patterns of abundance, size frequency and habitat associations at multiple scales.