Page 12

PARTICIPANTS

Dr. Jurgen Alheit

Baltic Research Institute
Seestrabe 15

0-2530 Warnemunde
GERMANY

Phone: 011-49-381-5-8338
Fax: 011-49-381-5-8336

Dr. Andy Bakun

Pacific Fisheries Environmental Group
National Marine Fisheries Service
P.O. Box 831

Monterey, CA 93942

US.A.

Phone: (408) 646-3311

Fax: (408) 646-3319

Dr. John Caddy
Fisheries Department

U.N, Food and Agriculture Organization
Viale Terme di Caracalla

00100 Rome

ITALY

Phone: 39-6-5797-6482

Fax: 39-6-578-2610

Dr. Ned Cyr

International & Intergovernmental Affairs
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Herbert C. Hoover Bldg.

14th & Constitution Ave., N.W.

Washington, DC 20230

USA.

Phone: (202) 482-6196

FAX: (202) 482-4307

Dr. Robert Dickson

Fisheries Laboratory

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food
Pakefield Rd.

Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 OHT

UNITED KINGDOM

Phone: 44-502-562244

Fax: 44-502-513865

Dr. Danny Elder

Marine Program

The World Conservation Union
Ave. du Mont-Blanc

Ch-1196 Gland
SWITZERLAND

Phone: 41-22-649239

Fax: 41-22-642926

Dr. Paul Falkowski

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Associated Universities, Inc.
Upton, NY 11973

US.A.

Phone: (516) 282-2961

Fax: (516) 282-2060

Dr. Mike Fogarty

Northeast Fisheries Science Center
National Marine Fisheries Service
166 Water St.

Woods Hole, MA 02543-1097
USA.

Phone: (508) 548-5123 x 255
Fax: (508) 548-5124

Dr. K. Vagn Hansen

Danish Institute for Fisheries and Marine Research
P.B. 101

9850 Hirtshals

DENMARK

Phone: 45-98-944500

Fax: 45-98-944190

Dr. Eileen Hofmann
Department of Oceanography
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA 23529

US.A.

Phone: (804) 683-5334

Fax: (804) 683-5303

Dr. Mark Huntley

A-002, Marine Biological Research Division
Scripps Institute of Oceanography

LaJolla, CA 92093

US.A.

Phone: (619) 534-3417

Fax: (619) 534-0701

Dr. Robert Iverson
Chelsea Instruments

Ivy, Inc.

P.O. Box 9008

Silver Spring, MD 20916
USA.

Phone: (301) 598-0908
Fax: (301) 598-8668


Page 6

vessels may provide a possible alternative to dedicated
research vessels.

Fish surveys often have an added advantage of provid-
ing a platform for other environmental monitoring. The
global value of such surveys could be enhanced by
intercomparisons between systems. The development of a
suitable coordinating group for such comparisons would
serve to further this work.

FISHING SURVEY TIME SERIES

J. Pope kindly provided the participants with the design
requirements of a fish monitoring survey for LMEs. The
remainder of this section provides background on these
requirements.

Repetitive fishing surveys provide a straightforward
way of monitoring the changing biomass of fish in areas of
the scale of LMEs. The essence of all such surveysis the link
between survey catch rate [U(y)] and fish biomass [B(y)] in
a year:

U(y) = qBCy)

where qis the catchability coefficient. The essential require-
ments are that q is nonzero and is not biased between years
(and--preferably--through space), and that its variance is
appropriate to the purposes of the monitoring process.
These requirements are most simply achieved through re-
search-vessel-based groundfish surveys using standard trawls
in a standard sampling design, which is repeated over a
number of years. For example, the North Sea survey is
standardized using the same research vessel and a standard
Granton trawl fished at the same fishing positions in the
same month each year.

Where the surveys are to be used for short-term man-
agement advice, such as in catch quota estimation, the
requirement for precision of q is exacting and the needs for
standardization correspondingly stringent. Where the re-
quirement is for a more general monitoring of biomass, the
precision requirement may be less exacting, and, for ex-
ample, the strict requirement of the same research vessel
might be relaxed. Major sources of bias, however, still need
to be strenuously avoided if the results of the monitoring are
not to be confused by systematic changes in method through
time.

Given that these design requirements are met, fishing
surveys prove to be a powerful means of monitoring fish
biomass inanumber of areas. The surveys of Georges Bank,
the Gulf of Thailand, the North Sea, and surveys of the
Canadian Atlantic Shelf, for example, have provided valu-
able trend monitoring of these systems through natural and
fishery-induced changes. Their particular value is in moni-
toring trends in space and time of noncommercial fish
species as well as commercial species, thus providing infor-
mation of the development of much of the fish biomass of an
area.

These surveys have an as-yet-unrealized potential for
providing comparisons between LMEs. Most imply this
may be done by comparing properties such as size distribu-
tions, but a more thorough intercomparison would almost
certainly yield additional insights. For example, different
demersal catch rates (and presumably biomass per unit of
area) between the North Sea on the one hand, and the Irish
Sea, Celtic Sea, and Bay of Biscay on the other hand,
indicate important differences between the systems in these
areas. A widening of these comparisons would certainly be
interesting and illuminating.

SEMI-ENCLOSED LMEs

A discussion on the importance of comparative studies
among seri-enclosed LMEs was led by J. Caddy who
kindly provided a summary of the discussion on this topic.

The LME concept, as it has developed, has acquired a
broad inclusive content, including large marine systems
with different characteristics, particularly with respect to the
predominant source of nutrients. To a significant extent,
however, developing a monitoring strategy depends on
proper classification of the LME. Among these categories
may be included river-driven shelf systems (e.g., Bay of
Bengal, South China Sea) and semi-enclosed seas. Both of
these systems are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic
effects, and it would be misleading to consider “terrestrial”
effects such as nutrient, silt, and toxic chemical runoffs to be
extrinsic to the marine system being studied or modeled.

There has been a tendency to refer to the semi-enclosed
seas as “marine catchment basins,” reflecting the reality that
factors such as land-use practices, human population den-
sity, industry, erc., distant from the semi-enclosed sea, are
having a profound influence on events in the “marine”
system. Many of these issues were addressed in the report
of the EMELS "90 symposium held in Kobe, Japan (see
recent special issue of Marine Pollution Bulletin).

Events in semi-enclosed seas such as the Mediterra-
nean, Seto Inland, Yellow, and Baltic Seas indicate thatsuch
areas are moving, or have already moved, into heavily
stressed conditions which may be anticipatory to harmful
impacts on coastal water masses subject to river and land
inputs. Other systems, such as the Black Sea, have appar-
ently reached a state where their capacity to provide sustain-
able yield of living marine resources is already in doubt, and
the priority of monitoring programs is to measure move-
ments along the gradient “oligotrophic and eutrophic,” and
hopefully, in the future, to measure the positive effects of
system rehabilitation.

In practice, it seems that four main effects need to be
considered for the semi-enclosed seas:

@ removal of apex predators;

@ accumulation of nutrients and other materials, espe-
cially where input is not exceeded by flushing and




NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/NEC-93

This TM series is used for documentation and timely communication of preliminary results,
interim reports, or special purpose information, and has not undergone external scientific
review.

Large Marine Ecosystems
Monitoring Workshop Report

13-14 July 1991,
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Kenneth Sherman! and Thomas L. Laughlin,? Editors

Narragansett Lab., National Marine Fisheries Serv., Narragansett, RI 02882-1199
2Off. of International Interests, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin., Washington, DC 20230

y U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Barbara H. Franklin, Secretary
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

John A. Knauss, Administrator : La

National Marine Fisheries Service
William W. Fox, Jr., Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
Northeast Region
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Woods Hole, Massachusetts

October 1992

| PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT

f
' ALL’RIGHTS RESERVED. |
| NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE |
' U.S, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE i



Mr. Thomas Laughlin

International & Intergovernmental Affairs
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Herbert C. Hoover Bldg.

14th & Constitution Ave., N.W.

Washington, DC 20230

U.S.A.

Phone: (202) 482-6196

Fax: (202) 482-4307

Dr. Simon A. Levin

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
203 Eno Hall

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ 08544-1003

ULS.A.

Phone: (609) 258-6880

Fax: (609) 258-6819

Dr. Michael Mullin

Marine Life Research Group
Scripps Institute of Oceanography
LaJolla, CA 92093

U.S.A.

Phone: (619) 534-2711

Fax: (619) 534-5306

Dr. Thomas Osborn

Ocean Science & Living Resources Program
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Place de Fontenoy

75700 Paris

FRANCE

Phone: 33-1-45-68-40-25

Fax: 33-1-43-06-11-22

Dr. John Paul

Environmental Monitoring & Assessment Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

27 Tarzwell Dr.

Narragansett, RI 02882

US.A.

Phone: (401) 782-3037

Fax: (401) 782-3099

Dr. John Pope

Fisheries Laboratory

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food
Pakefield Rd.

Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 OHT

UNITED KINGDOM

Phone: 44-502-562244

Fax: 44-502-513865

Dr. Thomas Powell

Division of Environmental Studies
University of California

Davis, CA 95616

U.S.A.

Phone: (916) 752-1180

Fax: (916) 752-3350

Dr. Andy Reid

Chelsea Instruments, Ltd.

2/3 Central Ave.

East Molesey, Surrey KT8 0QX
UNITED KINGDOM

Phone: 44-81-941-0044

Fax: 44-81-941-9319

Dr. Andy Robertson
National Ocean Service
WSC 1 Bldg., Rm. 323
6001 Executive Blvd.
Rockville, MD 20852
USA.

Phone: (301) 443-8933
Fax: (301) 231-5764

Dr. Kenneth Sherman

Northeast Fisheries Science Center
National Marine Fisheries Service
28 Tarzwell Dr.

Narragansett, RI 02882-1199
USA.

Phone: (401) 782-3210

Fax: (401) 782-3201

Dr. Michael Sissenwine

National Marine Fisheries Service
SSMC 1 Bldg., Rm. 9322

1335 East-West Hwy.

Silver Spring, MD 20910

US.A.

Phone: (301) 427-2239

Fax: (301) 427-2258

Dr. John Steele

Marine Policy Center

‘Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Crowell House

Woods Hole, MA 02543

U.S.A.

Phone: (508) 548-1400

Fax: (508) 457-2184

Page 13


Page 19

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Page 15

APPENDIX B

LME MONITORING WORKSHOP BACKGROUND DOCUMENT:
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING FROM MERCHANT VESSELS

‘Preceding page blank




Page 2

proposing research agendas for the next decade that incor-
porate this recognition.

ECOLOGICAL AND SPATIAL &
TEMPORAL BIOPHYSICAL SCALES

The examples given above (plus many more) lead to
two conclusions. First, investigations of biota (including
especially information on individual species) must be per-
formed in conjunction with studies of their physical and
chemical environment; the two cannot be separated. Sec-
ond, since physical and biological factors interact over a
number of spatial and temporal scales, studies of pattern and
process can proceed only if they incorporate investigations
over multiple scales of space, time, and organizational
complexity--and the physical and biological scales must be
matched. Some of the ramifications of these two conclu-
sions are not trivial.

Range of Studies

For example, future studies will have to extend over a
very large range of spatial scales; i.e., to include aggregation
and patchiness at smaller scales, up to whole continent/
ocean basin phenomena at large scales. Further, since the
variations in physical processes are not merely random, but
have more variance at low frequency (i.e., the processes are
said to have “red” spectra), as we extend our efforts-to
understand responses to longer time-scale fluctuations (i.e.,
global-scale responses to climatic change), we should ex-
pect to find large shifts that we could not have anticipated by
merely extrapolating our experience from shorter time-scale
studies. This is a point that John Steele has been directing
us to acknowledge for nearly a decade. Moreover, we will
be forced to understand simultaneously the behavior of
individuals, as well as the resultant responses of populations
and communities.

Modeling Studies

Excellent examples come from the model studies of E.
Hofmann and her students that link circulation models,
detailed population biology, and individual behavior. Note
that this is the use of theory at astill-different level--the level
of the individual and, in Hofmann’s case, how they exploit
patches.

Finally, the comparison of physical and biological
processes in both marine and terrestrial studies leads us tov,
some generalizations about the state of our knowledge of
both types of systems. First, classical ecological theory (and :
most terrestrial ecology) has ignored both the physical
component and the spatial context of most ecosystem pro-

cesses--areas in which oceanographic studies excel. Note
further that the insights of food-web theory are little appre-
ciated in oceanography, but, perhaps, one reason for this
neglect is that food-web theory ignores the consequences of
dynamic details in the statistical laws it provides. On the
other hand, oceanographic studies have drawn little insight
from evolutionary theory that derives largely from terres-
trial studies. Surely some cross-fertilization is desperately
needed.

LME Linkages

The theoretical and modeling subgroup (T. Powell, S.
Levin, J. Steele), in their summary tothe participants, argued
that “.. . the Large Marine Ecosystem provides an unparal-
leled opportunity to broaden oceanographic and fisheries
studies, and to build linkages between marine and terrestrial
systems. We believe further that long-term empirical and
monitoring studies have important insights for theoretical
investigations; and, moreover, that together with such long-
term initiatives, ecological theory can be utilized for man-
agement objectives.”

MONITORING

BACKGROUND

Following the discussions on the status of ecological
theory and modeling, several long-term monitoring pro-
grams were examined as case studies from which to apply
pertinent strategies and technologies to an LME core moni-
toring program. ~ : ~——

A limited time-space scale approach to marine ecologi-
cal studies does not provide the kind of information required
tomanage LMEs. The CPR strategy was presented by R.R.
Dickson. Exaniples were given of seven proposed global
ocean problems for which the CPR strategy can provide
important information on ecosystem productivity: (1) El
Nijfio and eastern Pacific; (2) coastal upwelling and climate
change; (3) Arabian Sea productivity and changing mon-
soon; (4) carbon dioxide drawdown and global warming; (5)
cod and climate; (6) abnormal plankton blooms and avoid-
ance of grazers; and (7) routine surveys.

CPR SAMPLING STRATEGY

This discussion was followed by a review of advanced
CPR technology and a description of major ecosystem
studies in which plankton monitoring using the CPR system
is of crucial significance (Dickson 1991). These studies
include:


Page 22

PLANKTON SAMPLING WITH THE CONTINUOUS PLANKTON RECORDER
IN THE NORTH SEA DURING 1990. THE SOLID LINES ARE THE
ROUTES WHICH CARRY INSTRUMENTATION... TEMPERATURE,
DEPTH, CHLOROPHYLL, CONDUCTIVITY, TURBIDITY AND
IRRADIANCE SENSORS FOR UPWELLING AND DOWNWELLING LIGHT.

Ye U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1995--700-026--80001 6185)


Page iil

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background .....
Terms of Reference
Objective ......
Participation ....
Ecological Theory
Holistic Research Strategy
Ecological and Spatial & Temporal Biophysical Scales
Monitoring .......
Background ..
CPR Sampling Strategy

Fish Surveys
Status & Trends and EMAP Pollution Monitoring Programs.
Core Strategy...
Productivity Core
Fish Survey Core.
Fishing Survey Time Seri
Semi-enclosed LMESs ....
Core Monitoring Strategy ..
Establishing the Concept
LME and Open Ocean/Global Ocean Observing System
Recommendations
References Cited .

WIYNIYIYNAANUNANAEWLOONNNNE REE EE

APPENDICES

Appendix A. LME Monitoring Workshop Agenda and Participants ........
Appendix B. LME Monitoring Workshop Background Document:
Environmental Monitoring from Merchant Vessels ....

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Candidate parameters for the core marine ecosystem monitoring program based on samples,
measurements, and observations collected during transect sampling with UORs or instrumented
CPRs, supplemented by satellite measurements

Table 2. Candidate parameters for the core marine ecosystem monitoring program based on samples,
measurements, and observations collected during systematic bottom trawl and pelagic
acoustic surveys .

| ‘Preceding page blank
EK




Page 11

AGENDA

Topic Speaker
SATURDAY, 13 JULY
Morning Session
Ecosystem Theory Discussion Leaders
Options for Sustaining Biomass Yields S. Levin
in LMEs
Scale Selections for Biodynamics of J. Steele
Marine Ecosystems
Physical Dynamics of LMEs J. Powell
Afternoon Session
Ecosystem Monitoring Discussion Leaders
CPR and Ocean Climatology R. Dickson
CalCOFI Time Series M. Mullin
MARMAP Time Series. K. Sherman
Lowestoft Time Series J. Pope
Semi-enclosed LMEs J. Caddy
Uncertainty and Risk in an Exploited M. Fogarty
Ecosystem
SUNDAY, 14 JULY
Morning Session
Review of Ecosystem Theory and
Monitoring
State-of-the-Art Theory
State-of-the-Art Monitoring
Brookhaven Pump-and-Probe System for P. Falkowski
Measuring Chlorophyll and Primary
Productivity
NOAA's Status and Trends Program A. Robertson
EPA's Environmental Monitoring and J. Paul
Assessment Program (EMAP)

Drafting of Core Monitoring Strategy
Summary and Risk Assessment
Recommendations

Afternoon Session
Review of Draft

Adjourn

~
PROCEEDING PAGE |
BLANK }



N BACKGROUND

_
—A workshop was convened at Cornell University in
Ithaca, New York, on 13 and 14 July 1991 to consider the
theoretical and pragmatic bases for a “core” strategy to
monitor large marine ecosystems (LME)..- =>

The ad hoc Committee on Large Marine Ecosystems, at
ameeting held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris,
France, during March 1991, agreed that among the follow-

on action items to the meeting would be a further develop--
ment of a monitoring strategy for LMEs. A workshop on

LME theory, modeling, and monitoring was to be organized
during summer 1991 that would include experts on these
topics from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Cornell University, and elsewhere where programs are
underway to link the application of terrestrial and aquatic
ecological theory tothe needs of applied ecologists, working
on problems of long-term sustainability of the biosphere
le.g., Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Old Dominion
University; Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food
(MAFF), Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft; Plymouth Ma-
tine Laboratory of the Natural Environment Research Coun-
cil and the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science,
Plymouth; University of California at Davis; Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO); Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC); Danish Institute for
Fishery and Marine Science, POLARMAR; The World
Conservation Union; Brookhaven National Laboratory;
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA)/
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); and Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA)].

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Terms of reference agreed to at the Paris meeting for the
monitoring workshop included:

@ development of strategies for monitoring the “health”
of LMEs, and methods for comparing the relative
health of LMEs;

@ consideration for developing closer links to the inter-
national Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics
(GLOBEC) Program and the research and monitor-
ing efforts underway and planned for LMEs;

@ review of the status of planning for LME regional
workshops, and “twinning” projects between devel-
oped and developing countries;

@ review of efforts by IOC to strengthen global ocean
monitoring; and

@ identification of funding sources to support exten-

Page 1

sions of present continuous plankton recorder (CPR)
routes along with the organization of regional plank-
ton sample-processing centers.

OBJECTIVE

This NOAA-sponsored workshop was convened to
consider practical applications of state-of-the-art monitor-
ing strategies, and fo review state-of-the-art ecosystem
theory and-modeling, pertinent to the development and
implementation ofa “core” monitoring framework for LMEs.

PARTICIPATION

Twenty-six scientists from six countries and 19 institu-
tions were present. The workshop agenda and list of
participants is given in Appendix A. The venue at Cornell
University was particularly advantageous, as several scien-
tists who were involved in an intensive examination of
“patchiness” in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, spon-
sored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and
other agencies, were also able to attend the monitoring
workshop sessions.

ECOLOGICAL THEORY

Considerable discussion was focused on the applica-
tion of ecological theory to issues relating to the research,
monitoring, and management of LMEs. We are indebted to
Tom Powell for his expert summary of the discussion on
theory and LMEs.

“ii

HOLISTIC RESEARCH STRATEGY : ~

- Scientists increasingly recognize that ecological stud-
ies must be carried out in an ecosystem context. For
example, fisheries studies that focus on single species do not
account for compensatory changes in other species in the
system, or for the modifications of the physical/chemical
parts of the habitat. Moreover, we now know that
ecotoxicological studies must focus on the fate and transport
of materials within an entire ecosystem--not simply within
an individual species or group of species.. Note that tradi-
tional “lab-scale” bioassays can completely miss the es-
sence.of this effect.

—A final, fertile example is provided by the growing
interest in undéfstanding the parallels and linkages between
marine and terrestrial systems--studies that can only be
carried out at the ecosystem level, We note parenthetically
that professional organizations (e.g. the Ecological Society
of America) have begun to respond to,these challenges by
a

Dy


LME MONITORING WORKSHOP
Cornell University

JULY 13-14, 1991

BACKGROUND DOCUMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
FROM MERCHANT VESSELS

by

Robert Williams
Plymouth Marine Laboratory

July 10, 1991

PROCEEDING PAGE \ a
BLANK j =

Ne

Page 17


HANAN

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/NEC-93

Large Marine Ecosystems
Monitoring Workshop Report

13-14 July 1991,
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
Northeast Region
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Woods Hole, Massachusetts

October 1992



Page 4

constraint, it is possible to conduct groundfish surveys using
relatively small vessels, thereby reducing operating costs
associated with the operation of large research vessels.

Various size-based indices were presented that can
serve as the basis for comparing different states of fish
population and communities within LMEs. In addition to
sampling the stocks with nets and acoustics for abundance
estimates, sampling protocols should include fish collec-
tions for age and growth information, and stomach sampling
for predator-prey and general ecological information, to
provide a basis for monitoring trends of both economically
important and ecologically significant species. Biological
sampling should include collections for pathological exami-
nations.

MARMAP

The Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment, and
Prediction (MARMAP) study of the Northeast U.S. Shelf
Ecosystem was described. Evidence, based on multidecadal
time-series of measurements of the fish, plankton, and
physical oceanography of the system, implicated predation
and excessive fishing effort as major factors in the large-
scale shifts observed in both the pelagic and demersal fish
communities. Subsequent to the late 1960s, when the
monitoring effort was well established, it has been possible
to identify the major causes of the observed flips occurring
in the populations of the dominant fish species.

It has been possible to initiate and maintain a balanced
monitoring effort that encompasses the major ecosystem
components (e.g., plankton, fish, mammals, birds, physical
oceanography) for several decades. Present process-ori-
ented studies are focused on gadoid recruitment, in coopera-
tion with NSF's GLOBEC Program (the U.S. component of
the international GLOBEC Program) and with NOAA’s
Global Climate Change Program. Based on the results of
MARMAP monitoring, a projection was put forward listing
the key ecosystem components to be measured as part of a
core monitoring program for LMEs (Tables 1 and 2).

STATUS & TRENDS AND EMAP
POLLUTION MONITORING PROGRAMS

A. Robertson presented a brief on the NOAA Status and
Trends Program which is focused on measurements of
pollution effects on living marine resources, including bi-
valve mollusks and demersal fish. Concentration levels of
toxic compounds are greatest in coastal waters adjacent to
urban centers. Studies are, continuing on development of
diagnostic probes for monitoring the physiological condj-
tion of marine organisms.

J. Paul described EPA’s Environmental Monitoring
and Assessment Program (EMAP). The effort is designed
to assess the stress levels of pollution on biological commu-

Table 1. Candidate parameters for the core marine ecosystem
monitoring program based on samples, measurements,
and observations collected during transect sampling
with UORs or instrumented CPRs, supplemented by
satellite measurements

Chlorophyll fluorescence*

Primary production”

Diatom/flagellate ratio*

Zooplankton composition & biomass
Copepod diversity*

Salinity structure*

Nutrients, including NO, as well as NO,"
Pollution index (e.g., hydrocarbons, sewage)
Temperature structure*

Stratification index*

Transparency*

Photosynthetically active radiation*
Rainfall or runoff

Wind strength & direction

+ From UOR/instrumented CPR sensors.
* With a double-flash pump and probe system.

Table 2. Candidate parameters for the core marine ecosystem
monitoring program based on samples, measurements,
and observations collected during systematic bottom
trawl and pelagic acoustic surveys

Stock assessment & biology
Distribution
Abundance
Length
Age & growth
Predator-prey interactions
Gross pathologic conditions
Physical oceanography
Temperature ‘
Salinity
Chemical oceanography
Water samples for nutrients, productivity, & pollutants

nities within the nearshore margins of LMEs along the
eastern seaboard. The program will monitor contaminant
loadings in organisms, sediments, and the water column. It
will be conducted in cooperation with NOAA and the
coastal states.

M. Fogarty closed the day’s proceedings with a fine
presentation on efforts underway to examine “Uncertainty
and Risk in an Exploited Ecosystem.” He concluded his


@ LMEs;

@ Coastal Ocean Observing System/Global Ocean Ob-
serving System (GOOS) of the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission, the United Nations
Environment Program, and the World Meteorologi-
cal Organization;

@ Ocean Margin Exchange Experiment of the Science
Council of the European Community; and

@ GLOBEC Program of the Scientific Committee on
Oceanic Research and the Ocean Sciences and Living
Resources Program of the IOC. ©

Options for implementing CPR coverage ona regional
LME basis and on a global basis were reviewed. General
consensus was reached on the utility of the CPR sampling
strategy for LME monitoring effort. Several different kinds
of CPR sampler configurations, including the instrumented
standard 10-m CPR, and the instrumented undulating oceano-
graphic recorder (UOR) (Appendix B), were reviewed with
tegard to the appropriate sensor packaging and deployment
array.

It was agreed that instrumented CPR samplers and
UORs would provide suitable sampling systems for measur-
ing long-term trends in the productivity and physical char-
acteristics of LMEs, and further, that expansion of CPR
coverage of open-ocean seas should be encouraged as the
deployment in the open ocean will provide information on
productivity and species composition that will be of signifi-
cant aid to understanding the plankton variability within
LMEs, and essential for adding “zooplankton” to our current
satellite-based estimates of net primary production at ocean
scales.

CPRs FOR MONITORING LMEs

The group agreed to maintain contact with regard to the
possible modifications to the draft document tabled by R.R.
Dickson, “Monitoring the Health of the Ocean: Defining the
Role of the CPR in Global Ecosystems Studies,” based on
the deliberations of the workshop participants (Dickson
1991). It was further agreed on the urging of K. Vagn
Hansen to expedite changes to the document relative to the
IOC Executive Council meeting scheduled for March 1992,
and toa possible proposal to The World Bank for supporting
prototype LME monitoring operations in the developing
countries. Important considerations are the training compo-
nent for new users of the CPR technology, and the need for
establishing regional laboratories for servicing the instru-
ments, processing the data, and analyzing the results.

Preliminary discussions along these lines have already
been held with interested scientists in both developed and
developing countries. Further dialogue will have to proceed

Page 3

as soon as possible to ensure that the proposal for LME
monitoring is completed and submitted to The World Bank
onschedule. T. Laughlin of NOAA’s Office of International
Interests will be serving as the principal contact on this
matter, and he will maintain close liaison with R. Dickson,
K. Vagn Hansen, J. Alheit, and other interested workshop
participants over the next several weeks.

CalCOFI

The discussion on the California Cooperative Oceanic
Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI) time-series was led by
M. Mullin. Considerable interest was centered around the
opportunities presented by retrospective analysis of sedi-
ment cores in relation to natural variability of the California
Current Ecosystem.

In response to questions on the utility of the CalCOFI
effort, M. Mullin cited the use of ichthyoplankton data in
managing both the anchovy, and more recently, the resur-
gent sardine fisheries. The time-series has also provided the
basis for recognizing the importance of advective processes
in shaping the seasonal and annual patterns of zooplankton
abundance within the California Current Ecosystem be-
cause complete hydrographic measurements were made as
well as plankton collections.

Some consideration was given to the relationship be-
tween process-oriented mesoscale studies and the long-term
monitoring effort designed to observe changes in the
demography of plankton species. The new funds being
made available for process studies in relation to climate
change and recruitment are likely to be more productive
when nested within an ecological CalCOFI-type time-se-
ties, than in areas that are less well-known.

In addition to the pelagic effort of CalCOFI, the NMFS
Southwest Fisheries Science Center has initiated studies of
the demographies of coastal bottom fish, thereby enlarging
the scope of time-series sampling within the California
Current Ecosystem. Also, the southward extension of
plankton monitoring from the CalCOFI box toward the west
coast of South America is envisaged by Dickson (1991) in
order to assess the full spatial coherence of changes in the
planktonic ecosystem of the East Pacific.

FISH SURVEYS

J. Pope provided several excellent examples of how fish
survey data and historical catch records can be used to assess
changes in the demersal and pelagic fish communities of the
North Sea. The application of the MAFF’s demersal sur-
veys was prompted by successes of bottom trawl surveys in
the Gulf of Thailand and Northeast U.S. Shelf Ecosystems.

It was emphasized that in developed countries, research
vessels are the best platforms for conducting the survey. In
developing countries where funding limitations may be a


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(continued from inside front cover)

79. Contaminants in Sediment and Fish Tissue from Estuarine and Coastal Sites of the Northeastern United
States: Data Summary for the Baseline Phase of the National Status and Trends Program Benthic
Surveillance Project, 1984-1986. By Vincent S. Zdanowicz and Donald F. Gadbois. December 1990. x + 138p.,
67 figs., 21 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB92-147453/AS.

80. Distribution of Sexually Immature Components of 10 Northwest Atlantic Groundfish Species Based on
Northeast Fisheries Center Bottom Trawl Surveys, 1968-86. By Susan E. Wigley and Wendy L. Gabriel. January
1991. iv + 17 p,, 23 figs., 3 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB92-101617.

81. Status of the Fishery Resources Off the Northeastern United States for 1990. By Conservation and
Utilization Division, Northeast Fisheries Center. January 1991. iv + 130 p., 50 figs., 82 tables. NTIS Access. No.
PB91-213785.

82. Response of the Habitat and Biota of the Inner New York Bight to Abatement of Sewage Sludge Dumping:
Third Annual Progress Report--1989. By Anne L. Studholme, Merton C. Ingham, and Anthony Pacheco, eds.
February 1991. vi + 57 p., 74 figs., 20 tables, 1 app. NTIS Access, No, PB91-208199.

83. Organic Contaminants in Hepatic Tissues of Lobster and Flounder at the New York Bight “12-Mile”
Sewage Sludge Dumpsite: 1987-88. By A.F.J. Draxler, Paul Hauge, and Ashok D. Deshpande. July 1991. iii +
10 p., 3 figs., 8 tables. NTIS Acccss. No. PB93-114635/AS.

84. Trophodynamics of Select Demersal Fishes in the New York Bight. By Frank W. Steimle and Russell
Terranova. July 1991. iv +11 p., 1 fig., 16 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB92-157999/AS.

85. Factors Influencing Spring Distribution, Availability, and Recreational Catch of Atlantic Mackerel
(Scomber scombrus) in the Middle Atlantic and Southern New England Regions. By William J. Overholtz, Reed
S. Armstrong, David G. Mountain, and Mark Terceiro. August 1991. iii+ 13 p.,9 figs., 3 tables. NTIS Access. No.
PB92- 160209.

86. Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern United States for 1991. By Conservation & Utilization
Division, Northeast Fisheries Science Center. September 1991. iii + 132 p., 55 figs., 72 tables. NTIS Access. No.
PB92- 113786.

87. Evidence of Structural Change in Preferences for Seafood. By Steven F. Edwards. January 1992. iii + 12
p., 3 figs., 1 table. NTIS Access. No. PB93-114650/AS.

88. Synopsis of Principal Diseases of the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus. By Gretchen A. Messick and Carl J.
Sindermann. January 1992. iii + 24 p., 13 figs., 2 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB92-219757.

89. Proceedings of the NEFC/ASMFC Summer Flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, Aging Workshop, 11-13
June 1990, Northeast Fisheries Center, Woods Hole, Mass. By Frank P. Almeida, Raoul E. Castaneda, Roman
Jesien, Richard E. Greenfield, and John M. Burnett. January 1992. iii + 7 p., 8 figs., 2 tables. NTIS Access. No.
PB93-114643/AS.

90. Fish and Megainvertebrates Collected in the New York Bight Apex during the 12-Mile Dumpsite Recovery
Study, July 1986-September 1989. By Stuart J. Wilk, Robert A. Pikanowski, Anthony L. Pacheco, Donald G.
McMillan, Beth A. Phelan, and Linda L. Stehlik. October 1992. iv + 78p., 9 figs., 2 tables, 2 app. NTIS Access.
No. PB93-158772.

91. The Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) Concept and Its Application to Regional Marine Resource
Management - - 1-6 October 1990, Monaco: Conference Summary and Recommendations. By Kenneth Sherman
and Thomas L. Laughlin, eds. October 1992. v+37p., 3 app. NTIS Access. No. PB93-185965.

92. Report of the Meeting of the ad hoc Committee on Large Marine Ecosystems, 22-23 March 1991, UNESCO
Headquarters, Paris, France. By Kenneth Sherman and Thomas L. Laughlin, eds. October 1992. iii+ 19p.,1
fig., 4 app.






Page 20

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anoxic effects;
@ fishing intensity; and

@ introduction of exotics and the replacement of “na-
tive” species as new niches are created,

Measuring fishery-related parameters in semi-enclosed
seas will continue to be essential, but should be aimed also
at monitoring biodiversity and recording appearance of
“exotics” that indicate qualitative changes in the benthic,
demersal, and pelagic subsystems. The importance, how-
ever, of combining fishery data with environmental param-
eters in a common monitoring and modeling framework
seems essential and will require interdisciplinary work
between a wide range of scientific specialists. This should
be done in a comparative way, for example, between insti-
tutes studying different semi-enclosed large marine sys-
tems.

CORE MONITORING STRATEGY

The workshop participants reached consensus on a
long-term (decadal), large-area, core monitoring effort for
LMEs:

@ ACPR/UOR sampling strategy should be employed
to measure variability in LME health. Such a pro-
gram will provide useful knowledge on marine pol-
lution, fisheries, and coastal zone management.

@ The CPR/UOR sensor package should include com-
ponents for measuring: zooplankton in terms of
species composition, biomass, biodiversity, and size;
phytoplankton in terms of species composition, bio-
mass (as chlorophyll), productivity (using a pump
and probe sensor), diatom/flagellate ratios, and size;
salinity; temperature, hydrocarbons; light; and oxy-
gen.

e@ Asmall-coastal-vessel sampling program, using nets,
acoustics, and other appropriate gear, should be em-
ployed to: measure species abundance, biodiversity,
and stock levels; gather data on fish age, size, and
growth; gather data on predator-prey interactions
from stomach sampling; make observations on gross
pathologic conditions; obtain simultaneous measure-
ments of temperature and salinity; and sample for
pollutants and photograph macrobenthics on an op-
portunistic basis.

@ Satellite images should be used for characterizing
water mass movements. Sea-sampled chlorophyll
and temperature data should be used for satellite
cross-calibrations.

Page7

@ Formonitoring inshore-offshore extensions of nutri-
ents and eutrophication, a system of towed CPRs
and--where possible--moored buoys should be em-
ployed for collecting chlorophyll and productivity
data.

ESTABLISHING THE CONCEPT

Outreach and education should be pursued by:

@ = establishing regional CPR/UOR plankton identifica-
tion and data processing centers, including facilities
for training;

@ convening regional workshops, based on initial de-
velopment of relevant background papers, for devel-
oping-country scientists, managers, and students;
and

@ encouraging support for institutional development.

LME AND OPEN OCEAN/GLOBAL
OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM

The linkage between LMEs and global-scale oceanwide
processes could be accomplished by using the CPR sam-
pling strategy to support inter- and intra-LME ocean vari-
ability observations to be collected by GOOS as now under
consideration by the IOC.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The participants agreed that much-needed, long-term
monitoring studies should be organized at three levels of
activity; certain efforts should begin without further delay.
Reliable instruments presently exist for this purpose. Con-
tinuous plankton recorders instrumented to collect zoop-
lankton, phytoplankton, and other major ecosystem compo-
nents, and fitted with sensors to measure temperature,
salinity, chlorophyll, depth, and--perhaps soon--primary
productivity and light, can be purchased at relatively modest
expense, These instruments have a history of reliability in
numerous deployments. They will be particularly appropri-
ate for describing individual events (e.g., productivity trends,
biomass yield trends) and summary statistics suchas spectra
or empirical orthogonal functions.

Second, within a matter of years, everyday monitoring
with “today’s” research gear can become a reality. The
participants recommended that development of this capabil-
ity--with a target deadline of 2-3 years--be initiated at the
same time, and further, that these instruments (e.g., acoustic


Page 9

APPENDIX A

LME MONITORING WORKSHOP
AGENDA AND PARTICIPANTS


GENERAL DISCLAIMER

This document may be affected by one or more of the following statements

This document has been reproduced from the best copy furnished by
the sponsoring agency. It is being released in the interest of making
available as much information as possible.

This document may contain data which exceeds the sheet
parameters. It was furnished in this condition by the sponsoring
agency and is the best copy available.

This document may contain tone-on-tone or color graphs, charts
and/or pictures which have been reproduced in black and white.

This document is paginated as submitted by the original source.
Portions of this document are not fully legible due to the historical

nature of some of the material. However, it is the best reproduction
available from the original submission.


Page 18

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING FROM MERCHANT VESSELS
1. INSTRUMENTED CONTINUOUS PLANKTON RECORDERS

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) was designed as a plankton
sampling instrument to be towed behind merchant ships at a constant
depth of 10m on regular routes without the need for the presence of a
scientist or techinician.The towed vehicle is about 1m long and weighs
approximately 66kg. The CPR survey was started in 1931 by Professor
(later Sir Alister) Hardy at the University College of Hull and was later
transferred to Edinburgh before finally moving to Plymouth. The plankton
survey is now run by the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Marine Science
based at PML.

For many years no physical measurements were taken with the CPR and
this has imposed limitations on the interpretation of the plankton data.
Recording thermographs measured temperature on selected routes during
the 1960s and early 1970s and these were superceded by electronic systems
logging the data on a tape cassette. Now the development of a variety of
sensors and the availability of solid state data loggers has made it possible
to measure and record a variety of environmental variables simultaneously
with the plankton sampling. The data are used to interpret the results of
plankton sampling and as valuable basic data for monitoring the ever
changing conditions in the sea.

At present the system can measure pressure (which gives depth),
temperature, conductivity (from which -salinity can be calculated),
chlorophyll concentration, upwelling and~downwelling light at 2
wavelengths (450nm and 550nm, i.e. blue and green) and turbidity. A total
of 16 channels are available, so additional sensors could be added. The
logger can accommodate 256,000 measurements which can be taken at
predetermined intervals of 1, 2,3, 4,5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20,30 or 60 seconds and
the battery life is about 30 hours. The sensors and data logger are
automatically switched on and off by contact with the sea water.

The CPRs equipped with the solid state data logger and associated sensors
have been deployed ona regular basis on routes from Grimsby to Aberdeen
and from Aberdeen to Stavanger since 1988 and on routes from Aberdeen
to Lerwick and from the southern North Sea to the Kattegat for part of this
period. The deployment of the electronic data acquisition equipment with
CPRs is part of the PML programme in co-operation with the Sir Alister
Hardy Foundation for Marine Science. PML gratefully acknowledge the
willing co-operation of the owners, agents, masters and crews of the ships
which tow the CPRs which make this work possible.


Recent issues in this series

64. The Shell Disease Syndrome in Marine Crustaceans. By Carl J. Sindermann. February 1989. v + 43 p., 5 figs.,
2 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB89-162523/AS.

65. Stock Assessment Information for Pollock, Pollachius virens (L.), in the Scotian Shelf, Georges Bank, and Gulf
of Maine Regions. By Ralph K. Mayo, Stephen H. Clark, and M. Christina Annand. April 1989. vi + 14 p., 6 figs.,
14 tables. NTIS Access, No. PB90-120676/AS.

66. Guidelines for Estimating Lengths at Age for 18 Northwest Atlantic Finfish and Shellfish Species. By Judith
A. Pentilla, Gary A. Nelson, and John M. Burnett, III. May 1989. iii + 39p., 18 figs., 19 tables. NTIS Access. No., PB90-
120675/AS.

67. Response of the Habitat and Biota of the Inner New York Bight to Abatement of Sewage Sludge Dumping.
Second Annual Progress Report -- 1988. By Environmental Processes Division, Northeast Fisheries Center. July
1989. vii + 47 p., 39 figs., 11 tables, 3 app. NTIS Access. No. PB90-125444/AS.

68. MARMAP Surveys of the Continental Shelf from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia
(1984-87). Atlas No. 3. Summary of Operations. By John D. Sibunka and Myron J. Silverman. July 1989. iv + 197
P., 36 figs., 2 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB90-160656/AS.

69. The 1988 Experimental Whiting Fishery: A NMFS/Industry Cooperative Program. By Frank P. Almeida,
Thurston S. Bums, and Sukwoo Chang. August 1989. v + 16 p., 9 figs., 11 tables, 1 app. NTIS Access. No. PB90-
160664/AS.

70. Summer Distribution of Regulated Species on Georges Bank with Reference to the 1988 Experimental
Whiting Fishery. By Frank P. Almeida, Sukwoo Chang, and Thurston S. Buns. September 1989. v+ 25 p., 74 figs.,
I table. NTIS Access. No. PB90-206525/AS.

71. Allocation of Statewide-Reported MRFSS Catch and Landings Statistics between Areas: Application to
Winter Flounder. By Frank P. Almeida. September 1989. v + 18 p., 5 figs., 6 tables, 2 app. NTIS Access. No. PB90-
246745.

72. Status of the Fishery Resources off the Northeastern United States for 1989. By Conservation and Utilization
Division, Northeast Fisheries Center. December 1989. iv+ 110p., 50 figs., 93 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB90-170622/
AS.

73. Surface and Bottom Temperature Distribution for the Northeast Continental Shelf. By David G. Mountain
and Tamara J. Holzwarth. December 1989. iii + 32 p., 31 figs. NTIS Access. No. PB90-252172/AS.

74. Shell Disease of Crustaceans in the New York Bight. By C.J. Sindermann (chair.), F. Csulak (EPA coord.), T.K.
Sawyer (rapp.), R.A. Bullis, D.W. Engel, B.T. Estrella, E.J. Noga, J.B. Pearce, J.C. Rugg, R. Runyon, J.A. Tiedemann,
and R.R. Young. December 1989. vii + 47 p., 7 figs., 4 tables, 4 app. NTIS Access, No. PB90-195058/AS.

75. An Indexed Bibliography of Northeast Fisheries Center Publications and Reports for 1988. By Jon A. Gibson.
December 1989. iii + 32 p. NTIS Access. No. PB91-112912.

76. Finfish Maturity Sampling and Classification Schemes Used during Northeast Fisheries Center Bottom
Trawl Surveys, 1963-89. By Jay Bumett, Loretta O’Brien, Ralph K. Mayo, Jeffrey A. Darde, and Margot L. Bohan.
December 1989. iii+14 p., 11 tables, 1 app. NTIS Access. No. PB91-128389/AS.

77. Shell Disease among Red Crabs Inhabiting Submarine Canyons of the New York Bight. By Randall R. Young.
December 1989. iii+9 p., 18 figs., 5 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB90-194762/AS.

78. Seasonal Distribution Patterns of Commercial Landings of 45 Species off the Northeastern United States
during 1977-88. By Sukwoo Chang. October 1990. v+130 p., 246 figs. NTIS Access. No. PB91-160846.

(continued on inside back cover)



Page 21

60°N

55°N +

50°N

Continuous Plankton Recorder routes in the North Sea. CPRs with
instrumentation are shown as a solid line, those without as dashed lines.


remarks by advising the group that: (1) management options
will continue to be attended by uncertainty, and (2) levels of
uncertainty can be reduced through a better understanding of
the recruitment process in marine fish populations.

CORE STRATEGY

The discussions on monitoring were open and probing.
The importance of monitoring LMEs with a core strategy of
linked components, including productivity at different tro-
phic levels as well as associated physical and pollutant-
related parameters, was underscored by several participants.
This strategy is based on the need for providing a key suite
of multiple parameters to allow for the identification of the
effects of human interventions and natural processes on
variability and perturbations in productivity, biomass yield,
biodiversity, and health of LMEs.

PRODUCTIVITY CORE

The use of the CPR sampling strategy for monitoring
changes in the plankton component of LMEs was shown to
be effective, even for certain species of dinoflagellates, and
to have enough spatial resolution to focus on the location of
such changes, and thus to aid their interpretations.

The sensor options and sampling profile configurations
for CPR systems now available for deployment in long-term
monitoring programs have increased during the past decade
to augment the standard 10-m instrument with sensors for
chlorophyll, conductivity, temperature, irradiance, hydro-
carbons, and nitrate-nitrite. This sensor package is also
available for deployment in an undulating towed body
which covers the upper 70 m of the water column in a
continuous undulating pattern.

Interest has been expressed for continued deployment
of the standard 10-m plankton recorder as part of the GOOS
strategy. The deployment of an instrumented CPR has
shown promise for advancing the understanding of biologi-
cal and physical linkages important to fisheries, pollution,
and coastal zone habitat studies. Notably, the extensive use
of the CPR provides the potential to add an estimate of
zooplankton grazing to current satellite-derived estimates of
net primary production, so that the large-scale assessment of
apparent phytoplankton growth rate seems possible.

Some concern was expressed in relation to the differ-
ence in cost between the instrumented, fixed-depth CPR and
the undulating CPR. Greater costs are associated with
operating the undulating instrument because it requires
more attention during sampling. The advantages of simul-
taneous measurements of plankton and environmental vari-
ables were considered cost effective.

The question of importance of nutrient monitoring in
relation to growing interest in eutrophication and its causes
and extent in LMEs was addressed. It was pointed out that

Page 5

information on eutrophication could be monitored effec-
tively with a “pump and probe” fluorometer system devel-
oped by the Ocean Sciences Division of the Brookhaven
National Laboratory. The present pump and probe system,
designed for buoy deployment, is being reconfigured to be
carried in a UOR, providing the possibility for obtaining
direct measurements of chlorophyll and primary productiv-
ity at depth. This development represents the potential for
a major breakthrough in biological oceanography, allowing
for the bypassing of calibration difficulties with other pri-
mary productivity methods. The UOR deployment, aug-
mented by instrumented buoys for productivity and nutri-
ents at the offings of major land-based inflows to LMEs,
appeared to be a useful monitoring strategy for plankton and
eutrophication.

FISH SURVEY CORE

Atthe upper trophic levels, the case was made very well
by J. Pope and others to include a fish survey component
module for monitoring fish populations and their environ-
ments. For developing countries, it was recommended that
small vessel operations were likely cost effective in nearshore
waters. The FAO experience in Uruguay, where the fish
survey was augmented by a commercial operation that
placed the activity on a profit or break-even economic base,
is a case worthy of further examination.

The fish survey would provide, among the sampling
Suite, information on length frequencies which appear to
hold promise as a means for comparing the changing states
of fish communities among LMEs (e.g., Northeast U.S.
Shelf Ecosystem). Other important measurements to be
made on the fish monitoring survey would include observa-
tions on fish pathology and stomach contents to extend the
information base on pollution effects and multispecies tro-
phic interactions within the LME.

Monitoring of fish biomass is an obvious and essential
component of any adequate measurement of the health of
LMESs. Fishing surveys (usually trawl surveys) are often the
most straightforward, simple way of providing such amoni-
toring of both commercially important and noncommercial
fish species. They have a proven track record in the North
Atlantic and have also been used successfully in tropical
areas, notably in the Gulf of Thailand. We would, therefore,
see such surveys as a rational component of a core monitor-
ing program.

In Third World countries, such surveys would provide
information on changes in fish communities and their envi-
ronments which is of local as well as global value. They
would, however, probably need to be supported by suitable
funding packages to cover running cost, gear cost, and data
archiving, plus training and data analysis. Suitable vessels
for conducting such surveys are usually similar to local
fishing vessel types rather than large, expensive, general-
purpose research vessels. Long-term chartering of fishing


Page &

sensors, moored instruments such as fluorometers and acous-
tic doppler current profilers), which will soon be readily
available for any user, be deployed as soon as possible in
selected LMEs. The use of coupled circulation-biological
models that update their predictions and interpolations by
assimilation of both physical and biological data will soon
be a reality for many parts of the world ocean. Before such
techniques can be incorporated into a stand-alone monitor-
ing system, extensive tests will be necessary.

New instrumentation may provide major breakthroughs
in long-term monitoring of coupled biological and physical
quantities. Sensors for such tasks are not now available, but
planning for their development and deployment in monitor-
ing efforts should begin immediately. Such new measure-
ments might include molecular “tags” for taxonomic iden-
tification as well as physiological rates. New acoustic

devices are also on the horizon. Finally, the collaboration
with planned process studies, such as GLOBEC and the
Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, should be explored in this
“new measurement” initiative.

REFERENCES CITED

Dickson, R.R. 1991. Monitoring the health of the ocean:
defining the role of the CPR in global ecosystem studies.
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and The
Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science Report
IOC/INF-869, SC-92/WS-8. Available from:
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Paris,
France.