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MONTEREYBAYNATIONALMARINESANCTUARYLOSTFISHINGGEARPROJECT
CRUISEREPORTOctober18,2009–October30,2009
SubmittedbyKarenGrimmerJeandeMarignacLisadeMarignac
SophiedeBeukelaer
NOAA’sMontereyBayNationalMarineSanctuary
299FoamStreetMonterey,CA93940(831)647‐4201
MBNMSLostFishingGearWebpage
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OBJECTIVES
DuringOctober2009,NOAA’sMontereyBayNationalMarineSanctuary(MBNMS)staffandpartnersconductedathirteen‐dayresearchmissiontosurveythedeepwaterhabitatsofMBNMSandtestnewmethodstoremovelostfishinggearfromtheseafloorusingaPhantomHD2remotelyoperatedvehicle(ROV).TheROVwasusedtolocate,documentandretrievelostfishinggearofftheMontereyPeninsula.Theobjectivesofthemissionwereto:
• ConductvideosurveysofselectedareasoftheMBNMStodocumentandincreaseknowledgeofthedegreetowhichlostfishinggearisimpactingthedeepwaterhabitatsandlivingmarineresources;
• Determineourabilitytorelocategearthatwaslocatedduringprevioussubmersiblesurveys;
• Developandtestmethodsandprocedurestosuccessfullyretrievelostfishinggearindeepwater(50to150meters);
• Provideimagesandvideoforeducationandoutreachpurposes;• ProvideMBNMSstaffwithtechnicalexperienceusingROVsforapplicationtofuture
projects.ThecruisewasconductedaboardtheF/VDonnaKathleenwithoperationsfocusedonPortugueseLedgeStateMarineConservationArea(SMCA)atdepthsofupto100meters.PortugueseLedgeisastatemarineprotectedareacreatedinSeptember2007toprotecthabitatforseveraldeepwaterrockfishspeciesandhelppromotetheirrecovery.
BACKGROUNDMBNMSisworkingwithpartnerstodesignandimplementamulti‐yearprojecttoremovelostfishinggearfromtheMBNMS.Theprimarygoalsoftheprojectare:1)toreducebenthicandpelagichazardstomarineorganismsposedbyfishingdebrislostonthebottom,and2)provideoutreachthroughpublicimagesandvideo.LostfishinggearhasbeendocumentedbytheNationalMarineFisheriesService(NMFS)duringDeltaSubmarinedivesin2003,2004and2007.Thisgearincludeslonglines,gillnets,crabandfishtraps,andtrawlinggear,whichcanbecomelodgedorentangledontheseafloorandextendintothewatercolumn.Lostfishinggearisidentifiedasfishingnets,lines,pots,traps,andothercommercialandrecreationalfishinggearthatsitsontheseafloor,getscaughtonrockyreefs,orfloatsinthewatercolumn.Gearcancreatelong‐termentrapmentmechanismsthatcontinuouslykillmobilefaunaformanyyears.Netmaterialsareconstructedtobestrongandresilient,thuspreventingescapeofentangledwildlifeandpersistingintheenvironmentfordecades.Theirpliableformcombinedwithwatermovementfromstormsandcurrentsmakethemactiveentrapmentsystems.Lostcagetrapscontinuetocatchpreyonacontinuingcycleaspredatorsenterthetrapstofeedondeadanddyingentrappedorganisms.Netsandtrapscanphysicallyscrapeorganismsoffofhardreefhabitatorsweepimmobileinvertebrates
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fromsandyareas.Netsandtrapshavebeendocumentedtoentanglebottomfeedingwhalesandothermarinemammals,becomingensnaredonflukesandfins,causingstressandlossofenergythatleadstoexhaustionanddeath.Lostfishinggearcanalsocausehazardstofishermen.Forexample,losttrapsmaysnagadditionaltrapsbeingsetnearby. Thiscruisewasmadepossiblebyanumberofkeypartners.CordellBankNationalMarineSanctuary(CBNMS)implementedasuccessfulfishinggearremovalprojectinAugust2008,andwereabletotestmethodsusingthesameROV.ThisprojecthasbuiltuponCBNMSefforts,aswellUCDavis’SeaDocSociety’seffortsalongthewestcoast(SeaDochasworkedinOCNMS,CINMS,&MBNMS).SeaDocSocietyofferedinputandsupportforthecruiseaswellassupportedthepilotthroughgrantfunds.CaliforniaDepartmentofFish&Game(CDFG)providedinputonstateMLPAsites,trawlintensitydataandadviceonwheretolocategear.NationalMarineFisheriesService(NMFS)providedcoordinatesforfishinggeartargetsthathadbeensightedbytheDeltaSubmarineduringtheirsurveys.TheNatureConservancy(TNC),MarineAppliedResearchandExploration(MARe)providedinkindsupportthroughlendingahydraulicarmtoattachtotheROV.Overall,thiswasateameffortthatwasmadepossiblebysupportfromallthesegroups,aswellasthecrewofthefishingvesselDonnaKathleen.Thecruisewasfundedthroughafederalsettlementthatfocusesonmitigatingimpactstobenthichabitats,andgrantfundsfromSeaDocSociety.Awebpagecontainingphotosandadescriptionoftheprojectcanbefoundathttp://montereybay.noaa.gov/resourcepro/resmanissues/lostgear.html
METHODS
StudySitesROVoperationsfocusedprimarilyonPortugueseLedgeSMCAwithadditionalROVdivesconductedoffCypressPointandinCarmelBay.Operationaldepthsrangedfrom45to260meters.DiveslocationswereselectedbasedonlostfishinggearpositionsthathadbeenpreviouslydocumentedbyMBNMSandNMFSduringDeltaSubmarinedivesin2003,2004and2007andbyinformationprovidedbylocalfishermen.Targetedgearincludedlonglines,gillnets,crabandfishtraps,andtrawlinggear.
Figure1:ArockfishgillnetrecoveredfromPortugueseLedgeSMCA.
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Figure2:GeartargetsforROVsurveysatEasternPortugueseLedgeSMCA.
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CruisePersonnelTable1:AffiliationsandRoles
Name Affiliation Role CraigBussel UR ChiefPilot MichaelCarver CBNMS CL&Nav PaulChetirkin ONMS TopsideVideo
SophieDeBeukelaer MBNMS Nav&Data JeandeMarignac MBNMS CL,Data,Deck&Nav LisadeMarignac MBNMS Deck&Data KristineFaloon MBNMS Deck&Video KarenGrimmer MBNMS CL,Data&Video
DaveLott ONMS Nav DonnaMaricich F/VDK Mate&Cook TimMaricich F/VDK Captain TylerMaricich F/VDK Mate
Roleabbreviations:CruiseLeader(CL),DataManager(Data),Navigator(Nav),TetherHandler(Deck),andVideographer/Photographer(Video).Table2:CruiseScheduleDay Date CB DL JdM KF KG LdM MC PC SDB Total Day_01 Sun 10/18 x x 2 Day_02 Mon 10/19 x x x x 4 Day_03 Tue 10/20 x x x x 4 Day_04 We 10/21 x x x x x 5 Day_05 Thu 10/22 x x x x x x 6 Day_06 Fri 10/23 x x x x x x 6 Day_07 Sat 10/24 x x x x 4 Day_08 Sun 10/25 Day_09 Mon 10/26 x x x x 4 Day_10 Tue 10/27 x x x x x 5 Day_11 We 10/28 x x x x x 5 Day_12 Thu 10/29 x x x x x 5 Day_13 Fri 10/30 x x x x x x 6 Note:F/VDonnaKathleen’screwnotincluded.RoleDescriptions
• Captain:Responsibleforoversightofoveralloperation;ensuredsafeworkingconditions;operatedvessel.
• Chiefpilot:ResponsibleforpilotingtheROVandsupervisingROVoperations.• Cruiseleader(CL):Responsibleforoversightofcruisepreparation;responsiblefor
decision‐makinginthefield(location,methods,etc.),communicationstosciencepartyandcrew,andassistingtheteamasneeded(switchingouttapes,dailyprogresssummaries,etc.).
• Datamanager(Data):Responsibleformanagingandmappingallsourcesofdata,recordingnotesontransectstartingandendingcoordinates,specialconditions,targetlocations,etc.
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• Decksupervisor(Mate):Responsibleforsupervisionofdeckoperations;operatedwinchandcrane.
• Navigator(Nav):Responsiblefornavigationincludingcommunicationswiththecaptainanddeckcrew;troubleshooting;managingdigitalandspatialdata.
• Tetherhandler(Deck):Responsibleformanagementoftetherandclumpweightandmonitoringweatherandseaconditions;recoveryoperationsrequiredanadditionalpersontoassistwithtether.
• Videographer/photographer(Video):Responsibleforrecordingcruiseoperations,inparticular,ROVandretrievaloperationsforpublicrelations.
ROVOperationsTheSanctuaryProgram’sPhantomHD2ROVwasfittedwithagrabbingarmandacuttingdevice,aswellasa500ftspoollineandcarabineer.Uponarrivalatstation,thevesselstoppedandremainedinneutraltoassesslocaldriftanddeterminetheoptimaltransectstartpointandorientation.Theexactsurveystartpointdependedonavailabletargetcoordinates,windandcurrents.
Figure3:SanctuaryPhantomHD2ROVTheROVwaslaunchedalongwithaclumpweightfromthecrane,boomandwinch.Thevesselsetuptodriftwiththewindandcurrenttowardsthegeneraltargetarea.TheROVwasliftedbythecraneandboom,loweredintothewater,releasedfromthewinchline,andmotoredout40metersfromthevesselpriortolaunchinga300‐lb.clumpweightthatwasattachedtothewinchcableandloweredintothewaterafewmeters.Atthispoint,theROVtetherwassecuredtotheclumpweightdownline(winchline),andthereafterevery3metersuntiltheclumpweightreached5to10metersfromthebottom(moreinhighreliefareas)topreventcontactwiththeseafloor.Simultaneouswiththeloweringoftheclumpweight,theROVdovetothebottom,withthepilotandnavigatormonitoringitsdepthandaltitude.
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Dependingonvisibility,theROVoperated0.5to2metersfromtheseaflooratspeedsrangingfrom.5to1.5knots.TheROVproceededalongadeterminedtransectorsearchpattern,butitscoursewasaltereddependingonthebottomreliefandpresenceoflostfishinggear.Observationsofgearwererecordedandpotentialtargetsofinterestwerecarefullydocumented.RemovalcriteriaweremodeledaftertheSeaDocSociety’sshallowwaterremovalprioritization.Thescienceteamdecidedwhetherornottoretrievefishinggearbasedonthefollowingcriteria:Impactstoanimalsandhabitatwithahighprioritygiventoendangeredorprotectedspeciesandsensitivehabitats;threatstofishingoperations;impactstohabitatasaresultofremoval;andfeasibilityofremoval.Tworetrievalmethodsweretested:
1. AsnippingdeviceattachedtothemanipulatingarmsnippedthelineandthegrabbingdevicegraspedthenetfragmentandpulleditupastheROVwasretrieved.
2. Acarabiner(metalhook)wasclippedontothenetortrapwiththegrabbingarm,andastheROVwasretrieved,thespoollinepaidouttothesurface.Thespoollinewasthentransferredtotheboat’shydraulicwinchandthegearwashauleduptothesurface.
SelectedgearwassetfreefromtheseafloorwiththeROVarms(grabandcut).TheROVwasalsoequippedwith200of3/8’’spectralineloadedonaspool.Thelinewasattachedtothegeartoassistinrecovery.Adetailedrecoveryplanwascreatedonacase‐by‐casebasisaftercarefulvisualexaminationoftheselectedtargetandlocalconditionsatthetimeofretrieval.Atthecompletionofthedive,thedecksupervisor,inconcertwiththecaptainandROVpilot,directedtherecoveryoftheROV.Thevesselsetuptodriftwiththewind.TheROVbeganitsascentwhilethewinchraisedtheclumpweightwiththetetherhandler,withassistancefromanotherscientistmanagingtheumbilical.Oncerecovered,thecraneboomedintoplacetheclumpweightonthedeck.ItboomedbackoutforROVrecovery.TheROVflewalongthesurfaceintorecoverypositionandthetetherhandlerattachedarecoverycarabineertotheROVviaaboathook,whilethepilotkepttheROVawayfromthevessel’shull.Thewinchwastakenin,andthecraneboomedintodeposittheROVonthedeckwiththeassistanceofthetetherhandler.WhilethetetherhandlerrecoveredtheROV,ascientistmanagedthetendingandcoilingoftheumbilical.Thedecksupervisoroperatedthecraneandboom,andprovidedoversightofdeckoperations.DataRecordingandManagementVideoimageswererecordedonminidigitalvideotapes.ROVdepth,dateandtimewereoverlaidonthevideofeed.Dateandtimecanbeusedtocross‐referencethevideoandnavigationaldata.PositionoftheROVwasmonitoredusingaTrackpointsystem,aGPSandHypacksurveyingpackage.Geo‐referencedbriefannotationswereenteredintoHypackandadetailedlogwaskeptinanotebook.
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SpecimenCollectionSelectedinvertebratesassociatedwiththeretrievedgearwerecollectedand/orphotographed.Someselectedspecimenswerepreservedina90%ethanolsolution.Theremaininginvertebrateswerereleasedasfeasible.ThepreservedspecimenswerebroughtforidentificationtoDr.RobertVansyocwiththeCaliforniaAcademyofSciences.
RESULTSDuringOctober18‐30,2009,wecompleted22ROVdivesovereightdays.Thefirstthreediveswereconductedinrelativelyshallowwater(40m)offCanneryRowtotestandfine‐tunetheROV’sbuoyancy.Themajorityofthedives(15)wereconductedoverPortugueseLedgeStateMarineConservationArea(SMCA)atdepthsrangingfrom75to100meters.TheremainingdiveswereconductedinCarmelBay(3)andoffCypressPoint(1)atdepthsrangingfrom45to260meters.LostfishinggearwassuccessfullyretrievedandremovedfromtheMBNMSbyROVduringfivedifferentdivesinthePortugueseLedgeSMCA.Thetotalremovedgearweighedapproximately500lbs,andincludedonecrabpot,ananchor,two100ftrockfishgillnetsanda40‐ftrockfishgillnetfragment.CDFGpersonnelidentifiedthenetsas“legacy”gearfromthe1980’s.Monofilamentwasthedominantfishinggearrecorded,particularlyatPortugueseLedgeSMCA,butnoattemptwasmadetorecovermonofilament.Over70monofilamenttargetsweremarkedwhileconductingoneROVtransect.Retrievedgearwasheavilyencrustedbutdidnotappeartobeactivelyfishing.Specimenscollectedand/ordocumentedincludedsponges,worms,corals(includingLopheliapetursa),whiteplumedanemones,crustaceans,tunicatesandotherencrustingorganisms.Videofootage,navigationfiles,andphotographsoftheinvertebratesassociatedwiththerecoveredgeararestillbeinganalyzedandcataloged.Videohighlightshavebeencreatedforoutreachandeducationalpurposes.
Figure4:StrawberryAnemones(Corynactiscalifornica)onPortugueseLedge.
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Figure5:PortugueseLedgeSMCAsurveyareaforthefishinggearproject.Yellowstarsarerecoverednets,andthepinkstarrepresentsthecrabpot.BluelinesareROVsurveys.
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RESULTS(continued)
Theeducationandoutreachassociatedwiththiscruisewasaveryimportantelement,andcomplimentedtheresearchandresourceprotectioncomponents.Thefollowingoutreachelementswereaccomplished:
1. ApressreleasewasissuedonOctober27thtoannouncethepreliminaryresultsofthecruise.NewspapersthatcoveredthecruiseincludedTheMontereyCountyHerald‐“GHOSTFISHERSREMOVED:OceanGoingrobotcleansseafloor”onOctober29thandtheSantaCruzSentinal’sarticle‐“RobotcleaningtrashfromfloorofMontereyBay.”TheMontereyCountyWeeklyreportedonOctober22nd‐“NewprogramletsNOAAscientistsuseROVtoremoveindustrialfishinggearfromsensitivehabitat.”
2. NewscoveragealsoincludedaTVinterviewonNovember2ndwithprojectleaderKarenGrimmerandCaptainTimMaricichonCBS5News.
3. AnewwebpagewasaddedtotheMBNMSwebsitefocusedontheeffort.Thelinkis:http://montereybay.noaa.gov/resourcepro/resmanissues/lostgear.html
4. Aone‐pagehandoutwasdevelopedforapresentationtotheSanctuaryAdvisoryCouncil,andforotherinformationrequestsbythepublic.
5. GoogleOceaninformationwassubmittedwiththecruiseresults.
EVALUATIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONSStagingandPreCruisePreparationsDuetoMichaelCarverwithCBNMSleadingthestagingoperations,theywentsmoothlyandeffectively.ThisincludedpreppingandtestingtheROVandumbilical,transportingequipmentfromRombergTiburontoMossLandingandonsitestaging,aswellastheeventualdemobilization.Michaelalsocoveredthecruiseleaderroleforthefirst2days.AndyLauermann,whowasleadingapriorCDFGprojectonthesamevessel,loanedtheteamvariouscriticalpiecesofequipmentandhelpedensureasmoothtransitionbetweenCDFG’sprojectandtheLostFishingGearProject.Criticalequipmentthatwasloanedincludedabackuptetherandclumpweight;hydrophonepoleandmount;headingsensors,GPSandantennaesetup;Hypacksurveyingsoftware,videomonitorandcablesforROVvideofeedtothewheelhouse;andacontrolvan.TheMontereyHarborpublichoistonWharfIIwasaconvenientlocationtoloadandoffloadheavyequipment.Notethataccesstothepublichoistmaybelimitedandthatspecialtrainingisrequiredtooperatethehoist.Onlyatrainedoperatorcanpurchaseatokentooperatethehoist.Twodaysarerecommendedformobilizationdependingonhowmuchgearisalreadyonthevessel,andonedayissufficientfordemobilization.ItishighlyrecommendedtoscheduleadayinapooltotesttheROVwithallitsattachmentsatleasttwotofourweekspriortomobilization.AlthoughwetestedtheROVattheMontereyBayAquariumResearchInstitute(MBARI)andsolvedsomethrusterissuesduringthattest,theROVwasnotequippedduringthepooltestasitwasinthefield.Three
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testlauncheswererequiredonthefirstdayatseabeforethebuoyancyandthethrustersoftheROVwerefine‐tuned,includingreversingtwoofthefourthrusters.SupportVesselTheF/VDonnaKathleenprovedtobeagreatplatformfortheproject.TherewassufficientdeckspacefortheROVcontrolvan,storingtheROV,itstetherandrelatedgearandmanagingtherecoverednetsandhandlingtheassociatedinvertebratesencrustedonthenets.ThevesselwasstableandabletomaintainstationaslongastheROVpilotandthenavigatorcommunicatedefficientlywiththecaptain.ThecombinedusesofaboomwiththecraneduringlaunchandrecoveryoftheROVwereefficientandlimitedtheriskofloosingcontroloftheROVandtheclumpweight.Inaddition,operatingtheROVfrommid‐shiplimitedtheriskofthetetherbecomingwrappedinthepropeller.However,thevessel’sslowspeed(<10knots)limitedtherangeofourdaytripsandthenumberofsitesvisitedduringthecruise.Itwouldbenecessarytohavelongerworkdaysthanthestandard8hoursand/orovernightstooperateintheBigSurareaorNorthofSantaCruz,whenroundtriptransitscouldexceed6hours.ThecrewoftheF/VDonnaKathleenTim,DonnaandTylerMaricich‐wereoutstanding.Theywerefullydedicatedtotheprojectandsharedtheirknowledgeandexpertiseofthesea.Theywereflexibleandeagertoassist,anditwasadelighttoworkwiththem.Inaddition,Donnawasanexceptionalcookandensuredthatmoralewashighthroughoutthecruise.Adding2‐4contingencydaysforfuturecruiseschedulesisrecommendedtoallowforweatherdays,maintenanceanddowntimefortheboatcrew.ROVThePhantomHD2wasanadequatetooltolocatetargetsandremovetrapsandgillnetsatadepthofabout100m.TheHydrolekmanipulatorarmwasnotevaluatedbecauseanelectricalfailurecausedthefloodingofthehigh‐definitioncamera.ItisunclearwhetherthedexterousmanipulatorarmwouldhaveenhancedourabilitytoretrievelostfishinggearbecauseitsrelativelargesizeandweightmighthavesignificantlyreducedtheROV’smaneuverability.SomeimprovementsarerecommendedtoenhancetheROV’s
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performance:• Addsonar:TheexistingsonardidnotworkandimpairedtheROVpilot’sabilityto
navigatebyremovinganypointofreferencebeyondthefieldofviewofthevideocamera.TherewasaclosecallwhentheROVgotbrieflystuckunderaledge.Luckily,therewasnodamagebutthesituationcouldhavebeencatastrophic.Aworkingsonarwouldhavepreventedsuchasituation.Referencepointsdetectedwithsonarcanbeusedasnavigationalaidsandassistinconductingsearchpatterns.Inaddition,asonarcandetectpotentialtargetsinthevicinityoftheROV.
• Modifyretrievingspool:ThespoolattachedtothetopoftheROVwasagreatassettoretrievegear.Itisrecommendedincreasingthesizeofthespooltoallowmorelinetobewrappedaroundtoenablegearretrievalatgreaterdepths.Withthecurrentdesign,thereisasignificantriskthelinemaygetsuckedintheverticalthruster.Aprotectivecasingorotherdeviceisneededtoeliminatethisrisk.
• Improvecarabinercontrol:Duringthecruise,thepilothadonlyonechanceatgrabbingatargetperdive.Oncethecarabinerwastripped,ithadtobebroughtupondecktobereset.
• Ahigh‐definitioncamerawithawide‐angleadaptorwouldprovidehighqualityvideofootageandtheabilitytorecordhi‐resolutionstillpictures.Thismaynotbecriticaltolocateandretrievegearbutitwouldbeinvaluabletotheoutreachcomponentsofthisstudyandwouldconsiderablyincreaseourabilitytocharacterizethebenthiccommunitiesassociatedwithlostfishinggear.
• Acablemetertotroubleshootshortsinthetetherandare‐terminationkitforthetether(extraconnectors,pottingcompound,solder,solderflux,solderingiron,wirestrippers,wirecuttersandothertools).
• Labelthetetherevery10meterstoenablecomparisonsoftheamountoftetherinthewaterwiththeamountofcablewirefromthewinchandtotheROVdepth.
• Ahigh‐qualityhighresolutionscreenfortheROVpilot,andanadditionalscreeninthegalleyforotherobservers.
ROVPilotTheskillsandexperienceoftheROVchiefpilot,CraigBussel,wereessentialtothesuccessofthemission,especiallywiththelackofworkingsonar.Inthenearfuture,SanctuarystaffshouldbetrainedtopilottheROVinordertorelievethechiefpilotduringtransitandtofollowtransectlines.However,itiscriticaltohaveaskilledpilotwhilemaneuveringaroundoverhangs,linesandnets.Thepilot’sexperiencewasinvaluableinmonitoringseaconditionsandcurrentsinconjunctionwiththeworkingdepthandhabitattypetodeterminewhetherROVoperationsweresafeandproductive.TheROVchiefpilotshouldbehiredfor10to12hourdays,especiallywhentransittimesincrease;andthatoneofthechiefpilot’stasksistoprovide“ontheflytraining”tosanctuarystaffwhenpossible.
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Navigation,DataManagement,ChecklistsandProtocolsThegearprovidedbyCDFGwascriticalfortrackingtheROV’smovements.TheHypacksurveyingsoftwarewasadequateforthemission.However,othernavigationsoftwaresuchasWinfrogandYoNavshouldnotbeoverlooked,asHypackwasnotideal.Oncenavigationsoftwarehasbeenselected,itisimperativeforSanctuarystafftogettheappropriatetraining.Datacollectionprotocolswereacceptableforthiscruisebutshouldbereviewedandimprovedbasedontherevisedmissionobjectiveandpreliminarydataanalysis.Excellentrecordkeepingisessentialtocontinuityamongdatamanagersandcruiseleaderstoensurethatthedataiscollectedproperlyandconsistently.Changeofstaffingforthedatarecorderandcruiseleaderpositionsshouldbereducedtoaminimumduringacruisebutthereshouldbeopportunitiesforlessexperiencedstafftobetrained.Lessexperiencedstaffshouldbesupervisedasappropriate.Itisimperativethatthedatamanagerandthecruiseleaderdebriefandreviewthedatacollectedatleastattheendofeachdayandaftereachdiveifpossibletomakesurethatthedataisstoredproperlyandtoaddressanyissueswhilefreshinmind.Datacollection,recordingprotocolsandchecklistsshouldbedevelopedandfollowedforallaspectsofthefieldoperationsincluding:
• Apre‐divechecklisttoensurethatalltheappropriatestepsarefollowedpriortolaunchingtheROV.ItislikelythatthefloodingoftheHDcameracouldhavebeenpreventedifathoroughpre‐divecheckhadbeenconducted.Thecruiseleaderisresponsiblefordesignatingsomeonetoensurethatthechecklisthasbeencompletedpriortoeachdive.
• During‐divechecklist:o Datatobecollected,includingdatatoberecordedonthefly.o Datarecordingprocedures,includingnamingconventions.
• Post‐divechecklistincludingadivereviewandevaluation,datadownloadandstorage,chargingequipment,ensuringthatthegearisstoredproperlybeforetransitingtonextsite,etc.
• Itisrecommendedtodevelop“tagging”systemstocreatequickdatasummariesandtorapidlycompilecruisehighlights.
VideoSurveyandGearRetrievalDependingonvisibility,theROVoperatedat0.5to2metersfromtheseaflooratspeedsrangingfrom.5to1.5knots.TheROVwasabletofollowpredeterminedroutesverywellinthePortugueseLedgeSMCA.Routesweredesignedtointerceptpotentialtargets,followingspecifichabitattypeswherelikelihoodofencounteringlostfishinggearwashigh(e.g.rockyoutcrop,pinnacle,overhangandledges).ROVroutesoversteepslopesoffCypressPointandinCarmelBayweredesignedtofollowspecificisobathstomaximizethechanceofintersectinganchorlinesofspotprawntrapsthatweretypicallysetdownslopeperpendiculartotheisobaths.
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Monofilaments(fromrecreationalhookandlinefishing)werethemostabundanttypeofgearrecordedthroughoutthecruise,butitwaschallengingtoquantifythisgearbecauseofthe:
• Inabilitytomeasurethelinewhenlodgedaroundorunderrockoutcrops,orwrappedinaball;
• Inabilitytodistinguishbetweendifferentmonofilamentstringswhentheyco‐occurred;
• Shearamountandlengthofthemonofilamentwasoverwhelmingforthetimeallocatedtothisproject.
DuringthesurveydiveinthePortugueseledgeSMCA,theteamarbitrarilydecidedtoannotatepresenceofmonofilamentnomorethanonceper30seconds.TheROVwillnotbeefficientatremovingmonofilament,butweneededtodevelopamethodtoquantifytheoccurrenceofthistypeofgear.Thescienceteamidentifiedgeartoberemovedassurveyswerebeingconductedandattemptedretrievalatthattimeasopposedtoreturningtothelocationsonsubsequentdays.Initially,removalcriteriaweremodeledaftertheSeaDocSociety’sshallowwaterremovalprioritization.Thescienceteamdecidedwhetherornottoretrievefishinggearbasedonthefollowingcriteria:
1. Impactstoanimalsandhabitatwithahighprioritygiventoendangeredorprotectedspeciesandsensitivehabitats.
2. Threatstofishingoperations.3. Impactsofremoval(isthereanegativeimpacttohabitatifremoved?).4. Feasibilityofremoval.
Therewasnoevidencethatthegillnetsremovedwerestillcatchingfish.Theywereoldnetsfromtherockfishgillnetfisheryandwerelikelytohavebeenontheseafloorfor10to30yearsaccordingtoTimMaricichandPaulReillyfromCDFG.Thereisaremotechancethattheymayhavebeenanentanglementhazardtomarinemammals.Theretrievedcrabpotwasnotathreattowildlife.Asmallrockfishwasobservedinthetrappriortoremovalbutthefishwasnolongerinthetrapwhenitwasbroughtondeckasmeshwasmissingfromonesideofthetrap.Theremovedgearwasnolongerathreattofishingoperations,asitwaslocatedinanareaclosedtofishingWeresurveyedtwositesafterweretrievedlostfishinganddidnotnoticenegativeimpactsresultingfromgearremovaloperations,exceptfortheimpactontheorganismsthatwereencrustedonattachedtotheretrievedgear.Wealsodecidedtoattempttoremovethenetsandtrapstodeterminetheabilitiesoftheteam,theROVandtheF/VDonnaKathleen.TheremovaloperationswereasuccessaswewereabletoretrievethetargetedgearwiththeROVasourprimarytool–proofofconceptwasdetermined.However,thecriteriaforremovalneedstobereviewedpriortothenextcruise.Everypotentialtargetforremovalneedstobeassessedusingawellthoughtoutsetofcriteria,butfinaldeterminationwillprobablyalwaysbedoneonacase‐by‐casebasis.Werecommendextendingthestudysitestoareasthatarestillcurrentlyfishedbecauseintheseareas,recentlostfishinggearisanentanglementhazardforfishinggear.Recently
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lostfishinggearismorelikelytobeghostfishingsoonafteritislostbecausethegearislikelytobelessdamagedandmayevenstillcontainbait.Duringthiscruise,theteamreceivedcoordinatesfromaMontereyspotprawnfisherman.Heprovidedcoordinatesforsomelosttraps.Unfortunately,wehaddifficultiesconvertinghiscoordinatesandwerenotabletofullyoperateatthedepthofhislostfishinggear.ThecoordinatescaneasilybeaddressedbeforethenextcruiseandwecouldadapttheROVsetuptoworkatgreaterdepths.StudySitesandTargetLocationsROVdiveswereconductedatPortugueseLedgeSMCA,offCypressPoint,andinCarmelBay.WeinitiallyplannedtogotoPt.Surbutdeterminedthatwiththeuncertainmarineforecastandthelongtransittimetoconsiderthissiteforanothercruise.Longerworkdaysand/orovernightswouldberequiredtogotoPointSur.TargetspreviouslyrecordedfromtheDeltaSubmersiblebyNMFSstaffweretypicallylocatedwithin3to30minutes,whereasothertargetedgearwasnotfound.ItwasremarkablehowaccuratetheDelta’spositionswere.Inaddition,alldatapositionswereplottedandcarefullycheckedpriorthebeginningofthecruise.WeopportunisticallytriedtolocateandrecoveraclumpthatCDFGhadpreviouslylostinCarmelBay,butwithoutanysuccess.TherewassomeconfusioningettingthecoordinatesfromCDFG,anditturnedoutthatwedidnotconductoursearchintherightarea.Thiscouldhaveeasilybepreventedifwehadplottedtheconfirmedthecoordinatespriortothecruise.TheteamattemptedtolocatespotprawntrapsthatwererecentlylostbyMontereyfishermen,butweexperiencedasimilarchallengeingettinggoodlocations.WewereunabletotranslatetheLoranreadingsandplotthepositionthefishermengaveus.Onceagainthisproblemcouldhavebeeneasilybepreventedifwehadbeenabletoplotandconfirmthecoordinatespriortothecruise.However,theareawherethespotprawntrapswerelostwasoversteep,highreliefterraindeeperthanPortugueseLedge.Basedonthebestavailableinformationatthetime,weconductedsearchesfollowingisobathsasdeepas260meters.Inadditiontodeepwater,currentsandswelllimitedtheROV’sabilitytomaneuver.ThiscombinationresultedinshortingtheROVtether.ThePhantomROVsetupprovedtobeeffectiveatlocatingandretrievinglostfishinggeartoadepthofupto100metersinrelativelygoodseaconditions.However,thecombinationofdeeperwater,currents,swell,highrelieftopography,poorqualitytargetlocations,andlackofsonarresultedinsomeconditionsthatwerebeyondthecapabilitiesofthesetup.Asmentionedpreviously,itisnecessarytoplotandconfirmthebestavailablelocationspriorleavingthedock.ItisrecommendedtoplotallpotentialtargetpositionsanddatalayersinaGISprojectusingtheWGS84projection,priortoacruise.
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CollectionTheteamcollectedavarietyofthenetencrustingspecimensandtookimagesofsomeoftheinvertebratesassociatedwiththerecoveredfishinggear.AninterestinglightpinkcoralwascollectedandidentifiedbyMBARIandtheSmithsonianInstituteasadeepwaterformingscleractinianthatarecommonintheNEAtlanticandofftheSEUScoast–Lopheliapertusa.
Figure6:DeepwatercoralLopheliapertusa.foundencrustedongillnet
AvarietyofpreservedspecimenswerebroughttoDr.RobertVansyocattheCaliforniaAcademyofSciencesinSanFranciscoforidentification.Wearealsointheprocessofidentifyingobservedinvertebratesfromimages.Duetothenumberofencrustingorganismsfoundduringthiscruise,wewilldevelopadetailedsamplingplanforthenextcruise.Thisprojectmayprovideauniqueopportunitytocharacterizeinvertebratecommunitiesassociatedwithlostfishinggear.Wearelookingforpartnersthatwilltaketheleadandprovideexpertiseforthisproject.Potentialpartnersinclude:
• CaliforniaAcademyofSciences• CaliforniaStateUniversityMontereyBay• Hopkins’sMarineStation• MontereyBayAquarium• MontereyBayAquariumResearchInstitute• MossLandingMarineLaboratories• SteinhartAquariuminSanFrancisco• BrianTissot’sLabatWashingtonStateUniversityinVancouver
TheSanctuary’sResearchActivitiesPanelcouldidentifyadditionalpotentialpartners.
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SafetyandCommunicationOverallcommunicationamongteammemberswasverygoodandoperationsweresafe.Thesafetyofthevesselcrewandsciencepartywasoftheutmostimportance.Thecaptainandcruiseleaderconducteddailysafetybriefings.Operationalprocedureswerereviewedpriortolaunchesandrecoveryasconditionsandcrewcompositionvaried.Thecaptain,cruiseleader,ROVpilotanddeckmanagerweretointerruptROVoperationswhenevertheydeterminedthatoperationalconditionswereunsafeforthepersonnelortheequipment.Allcrewmemberswereencouragedtoexpressanysafetyconcernsandtoonlyperformtasksforwhichtheywerequalifiedandcomfortablewith.ItwascriticaltokeepgoodcommunicationamongtheROVvan,thewheelhouseandthedeck.TheROVvideofeedtothewheelhouseallowedthecaptaintoseewhentheROVwasalteringitscourseandchangingitsspeed.Thisimprovedthecaptain’sabilitytomaneuverthevesselclosetotheROV.Radiocommunicationamongtheteammemberswereadequate,yetaneffortshouldbemadetoincreasecommunicationsbetweentheROVpilotandthecaptain.Thecruiseleaderneedstoensurethatallteammembersareproperlyinformedandunderstandtheobjectiveofeachdive.Operationstendedtobesmootherwhencrewswitcheswereminimized.However,oneofthegoalsofthiscruisewastoprovidetrainingopportunitiestoSanctuarystaff.
Figure7:Whitespongespeciesonleftandsquatlobsteronright
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Figure8:Summaryofretrievedlostfishinggearlocationsandimages
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