Research Areas > Regional Monitoring > Bight Regional Monitoring > Rocky Reef

Project Group: Rocky Reef

SCCWRP Research

Rocky habitat provides some of the Bight’s most spectacular underwater scenery, and its giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests are home to some of the most productive marine habitats on earth. While there are a number of rocky habitat/kelp forest monitoring programs, there is little integration among studies by different researchers regarding this unique habitat. With the initiation of California’s Marine Life Protection Act and plans for a series of habitat reserves in southern California, there is an increasing need for Bight-wide assessment of rocky habitat condition. The Rocky Reef research component was added to the Southern California Bight (Bight) Regional Monitoring Program in 2008. It provided an opportunity for more than 20 rocky reef biologists to collaboratively assess the health of rocky reefs throughout southern California.

The goal of the Bight’08 Rocky Reef component was to answer three questions:

• What is the distribution of hard bottom habitats in the Southern California Bight?
• What is the range of natural biological conditions in these reef assemblages?
• How do these conditions correlate with anthropogenic factors?

Starting in 2008, 69 reefs from San Diego to Point Conception, including the Channel Islands, were sampled by nine organizations. Quantitative biological information was collected, including algae and invertebrate species identifications, as well as fish identifications and size class measurements. All sampling was conducted by SCUBA divers investigating depths up to 90 feet.

Data from this and other components of the Bight surveys are available on the SCCWRP website.

Presentation

• Comparison of volunteer and professional rocky reef condition assessments - January 2011 presentation to SCCWRP member agencies comparing professional and volunteer-collected data for the Bight '08 rocky reef study.