PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:
There is an urgent need to understand how managed and protected marine species will shift their distributions in response to global changes. This project will focus on how habitat hotspots of highly migratory marine predators and their prey interact with human uses of the ocean, which will be critical to supporting a viable blue economy in California.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
With the third largest coastline in the U.S., California’s coastal counties and ports generate approximately 80% of the state’s gross domestic product through resource extraction, tourism, recreation and marine transportation. As the frequency and severity of extreme weather events increase, coastal communities are likely to face a greater frequency of economic disruptions via fishery stock declines and closures, impacts to coastal tourism, degradation of marine ecosystems and more. Identifying marine hotspots could prove an effective strategy to build a sustainable future for California by fostering a healthy and resilient ocean.
Using a mix of existing and new species distribution models, researchers are identifying habitat hotspots for humpback whales, blue whales, leatherback sea turtles, anchovy, krill and pyrosomes, and will quantify the persistence of single species and predator-prey habitat hotspots. The team also plans to assess potential areas of conflict between hotspots and ocean users. The team has reached out to educational centers and state officials to begin developing curricula and management plans.
Community Mentors: Elliott Hazen (NOAA), Nerea Lezama-Ochoa (NOAA), Heather Welch (NOAA), Steven Bograd (NOAA), Jarrod Santora (NOAA), Jonathan Hicken (Seymour Marine Discovery Center)