Assessment of South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) Marine Indicators
The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) has proposed natural resource indicators and associated targets for the marine ecosystem.
PROJECT COMPLETED
The Science Issue and Relevance: The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) has proposed natural resource indicators and associated targets for the marine ecosystem. However, the indicators and targets are unrefined and abstract, and it is unclear if there are data with which to evaluate the indicators, or if the validity of the proposed indicators is compromised by varying regulatory frameworks over the jurisdiction of the SALCC.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: In 2012, the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) began development of its process to select natural resource indicators and targets as specific landscape scale measures of success for natural resources. An indicator was defined by the SALCC as a metric designed to inform easily and quickly about the condition of a system, while targets are long-term goals for the indicator. For the Marine ecosystem, three indicators were selected:
- Abundance of Gag Grouper (Mycteroperca microlepsis)
- Abundance of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)
- Index of nearshore forage species
Gag grouper was chosen to represent the offshore snapper/grouper complex, with the long-term target being to increase the Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) by 20% in fishery-independent sampling. This would indicate that the stock was rebuilding, and had increased roughly 20% during the timeframe of the indicator. Red drum was chosen to represent the nearshore fishery, with the target being to increase the spawning stock by 10%. Since the fishery is for nearshore subadults, an increase in the spawning stock would indicate that more subadults had survived to adulthood. Finally, an index of nearshore forage species was proposed. These are short-lived small fishes and invertebrates that form the base of the food chain for the larger predators. Populations of these species fluctuate historically with local conditions, but overall biomass acts as an indicator of the broader environmental conditions. The long-term target was to ensure that the CPUE for all species remained within one standard deviation of historic means.
The three indicators for the marine ecosystem are currently unrefined and fairly abstract, with no set timeframes, baselines, or methods for assessing how well the indicators are reflecting ecosystem health. The proposed index of nearshore forage species does not even have species specified, or a description of the type of index. Also, the indicators are inherently linked to economic and regulatory factors that are independent of the biology of the indicator species such that socio-economic changes might provide false biological information. That is, if the target is to maintain a CPUE for a species, but that species ceases to be fished for either regulatory or economic reasons (i.e., a state closes a fishery or a menhaden plant closes), then data for that indicator becomes skewed. Also, since the SALCC extends over several states and borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, data richness available for the indicator species will likely vary extensively by jurisdiction and basin. We propose to:
1) Review state and federal data available that could be used to develop baselines and ongoing assessment of the indicators.
2) Develop models that combine the various data available to create spatially explicit baseline levels for the indicators.
3) Conduct sensitivity analysis to assess how economic and regulatory changes have or will impact the baseline and targets for the indicators.
4) Based on the modeling and sensitivity analysis, provide feedback and recommendations on appropriateness of the indicators and targets, and, if necessary, alternative indicators or targets.
July 2013: Begin data collection. Collate applicable fisheries data for coastlines in SALCC, and review current and historic regulations for those fisheries. Identify any cultural trends that would affect the fisheries.
Sept 2013: Data gaps and adequacy analysis of existing data. Summarize regulatory and cultural trends and impacts on the data. Identify species for Index of Forage Fish.
Dec 2013: Mapping of temporal and spatial trends in fisheries. Identify any natural breaks, both temporal and spatial, where indicators may have to be changed for cultural or regulatory reasons.
February 2014: Summaries and presentations, first draft.
March 2014: Final summary document, spatial models, presentation, and recommendations/suggestions for considerations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Future Steps: None, project completed.
Related Projects: None
The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) has proposed natural resource indicators and associated targets for the marine ecosystem.
PROJECT COMPLETED
The Science Issue and Relevance: The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) has proposed natural resource indicators and associated targets for the marine ecosystem. However, the indicators and targets are unrefined and abstract, and it is unclear if there are data with which to evaluate the indicators, or if the validity of the proposed indicators is compromised by varying regulatory frameworks over the jurisdiction of the SALCC.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: In 2012, the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) began development of its process to select natural resource indicators and targets as specific landscape scale measures of success for natural resources. An indicator was defined by the SALCC as a metric designed to inform easily and quickly about the condition of a system, while targets are long-term goals for the indicator. For the Marine ecosystem, three indicators were selected:
- Abundance of Gag Grouper (Mycteroperca microlepsis)
- Abundance of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)
- Index of nearshore forage species
Gag grouper was chosen to represent the offshore snapper/grouper complex, with the long-term target being to increase the Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) by 20% in fishery-independent sampling. This would indicate that the stock was rebuilding, and had increased roughly 20% during the timeframe of the indicator. Red drum was chosen to represent the nearshore fishery, with the target being to increase the spawning stock by 10%. Since the fishery is for nearshore subadults, an increase in the spawning stock would indicate that more subadults had survived to adulthood. Finally, an index of nearshore forage species was proposed. These are short-lived small fishes and invertebrates that form the base of the food chain for the larger predators. Populations of these species fluctuate historically with local conditions, but overall biomass acts as an indicator of the broader environmental conditions. The long-term target was to ensure that the CPUE for all species remained within one standard deviation of historic means.
The three indicators for the marine ecosystem are currently unrefined and fairly abstract, with no set timeframes, baselines, or methods for assessing how well the indicators are reflecting ecosystem health. The proposed index of nearshore forage species does not even have species specified, or a description of the type of index. Also, the indicators are inherently linked to economic and regulatory factors that are independent of the biology of the indicator species such that socio-economic changes might provide false biological information. That is, if the target is to maintain a CPUE for a species, but that species ceases to be fished for either regulatory or economic reasons (i.e., a state closes a fishery or a menhaden plant closes), then data for that indicator becomes skewed. Also, since the SALCC extends over several states and borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, data richness available for the indicator species will likely vary extensively by jurisdiction and basin. We propose to:
1) Review state and federal data available that could be used to develop baselines and ongoing assessment of the indicators.
2) Develop models that combine the various data available to create spatially explicit baseline levels for the indicators.
3) Conduct sensitivity analysis to assess how economic and regulatory changes have or will impact the baseline and targets for the indicators.
4) Based on the modeling and sensitivity analysis, provide feedback and recommendations on appropriateness of the indicators and targets, and, if necessary, alternative indicators or targets.
July 2013: Begin data collection. Collate applicable fisheries data for coastlines in SALCC, and review current and historic regulations for those fisheries. Identify any cultural trends that would affect the fisheries.
Sept 2013: Data gaps and adequacy analysis of existing data. Summarize regulatory and cultural trends and impacts on the data. Identify species for Index of Forage Fish.
Dec 2013: Mapping of temporal and spatial trends in fisheries. Identify any natural breaks, both temporal and spatial, where indicators may have to be changed for cultural or regulatory reasons.
February 2014: Summaries and presentations, first draft.
March 2014: Final summary document, spatial models, presentation, and recommendations/suggestions for considerations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Future Steps: None, project completed.
Related Projects: None