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National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)
Weekly Report – June 6, 2007
Habitat Assessment to Support Management of Marine Resources in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) conducted a two-week field mission from May 14-28, to collect detailed information about the abundance and spatial distribution of benthic habitats, fish, corals, invertebrates, and marine debris at 75 hardbottom sites around Vieques, Puerto Rico to enhance conservation efforts. The results will be part of an integrated assessment to support effective management and conservation of marine resources in Vieques, and will enable an evaluation of Vieques’ coral reef ecosystems in the context of other reef systems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Caribbean. The work was conducted in cooperation with NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, and the results will be made available to the Vieques community and the public online and in reports. NCCOS scientists also collaborated with scientific divers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to survey queen conch at 24 submerged vegetation sites around Vieques. For additional information, visit http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/ or contact Laurie Bauer at 301-713-3028 x236 or Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov, or Matt Kendall at 301-713-3028 x144 or Matt.Kendall@noaa.gov.
Research on Human Dimensions to Inform Restoration Monitoring. Scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, presented a paper detailing the importance of including human dimensions in monitoring activities associated with coastal restoration projects. It stressed the need to move to an evaluation of human-related impacts associated with restoration rather than more passive and short term approaches. The paper, "Coastal Restoration: Monitoring as a Planning-Evaluation Process" was presented on May 21 at the Second National Forum on Socioeconomic Research in Coastal Systems: Challenges of Natural Resource Economics and Policy, in New Orleans, La. For more information contact Terry McTigue at Terry.McTigue@noaa.gov or (301) 713-3028
CCMA Scientists’ Work to Characterize Contaminants Levels in Vieques, Puerto Rico in Support of Restoration Activities. Scientists from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) traveled to Vieques, Puerto Rico May 13-30 to collect sediments, coral tissues and water samples to characterize contaminants in near-shore waters around the island. Using NOAA’s National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program protocols, and working in close cooperation with NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, the sediments and coral samples will be analyzed for over 150 chemical contaminants; sediments will also be analyzed for the presence of 15 compounds termed “energetics,” used in munitions. The water samples will be analyzed for nutrients. Between 1940 and 2003, portions of the island of Vieques were used for the storage and firing of munitions for military training purposes. Results from the analysis will be incorporated into an integrated assessment that will help target restoration efforts and facilitate management of the valuable marine resources around Vieques. For additional information, contact Tony Pait at 301-713-3028 x158 or Tony.Pait@noaa.gov or John Christensen at 301-713-3028 x153 or John Christensen@noaa.gov.
CCMA Expands Contaminant Monitoring in Alaska to Improve Resource Management. The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Mussel Watch Project has expanded its long term efforts in coastal Alaska by adding new sites in late May, including Resurrection Bay near Seward and Nanwalek on Cook Inlet. Both sites were established and samples collected with the collaboration of local Alaska Native communities. Additionally, shellfish were collected at a new location in Bear Cove on Cook Inlet, south of Kachemak Bay, where three species of shellfish used for subsistence are co-located. Shellfish from the site will be collected over time to determine whether mussels can be used as surrogates of persistent organic pollutants in other shellfish, in addition to their known value as a good indicator of general environmental contamination. NCCOS scientists are also working with the Alaska Native community in Dillingham, AK, to establish a future Mussel Watch site in Bristol Bay. For more information contact Kimani Kimbrough (Kimani.Kimbrough@noaa.gov) or Gunnar Lauenstein (Gunnar.Lauenstein@noaa.gov).
Scientists Meet with Local Alaska Communities to Promote Center Activities. During the week of May 20, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) scientists met with a wide variety of Alaska native organizations to promote NCCOS activities there. Scientists gave presentations on marine life and environmental contamination to the K-12 school in Nanwalek, AK, and later accompanied the students on a field trip. NCCOS scientists also met with John Davenport of the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Seward, AK, to establish a collaborative relationship that will benefit the Mussel Watch Project and provide Mr. Davenport with practicum experience for which he will receive college credit through the University of Alaska Fairbanks. NCCOS scientists also met with counterparts from the Alaska Sea Life Center, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and gave a presentation to Alaskan Natives taking a water quality recertification course at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Dillingham campus. NCCOS scientists concluded their trip by meeting with the Bristol Bay Native Association to address concerns about potential contamination in subsistence foods. For more information, contact Kimani Kimbrough (Kimani.Kimbrough@noaa.gov) or Gunnar Lauenstein (Gunnar.Lauenstein@noaa.gov).