PREDICTING HABITAT QUALITY OF JUVENILE ENGLISH SOLE AND

DUNGENESS CRAB IN COASTAL AND ESTUARINE NURSERY GROUNDS

Lorenzo Ciannelli (OSU CEOAS), Cliff Ryer (NOAA, HMSC)

Morgan Bancroft (OSU CEOAS)

1. Experimentally determine effect of water temperature and dissolved oxygen on English sole and Dungeness crab body growth

2. Based on experimental rates, predict the potential for growth in coastal and estuarine habitat types, from field measurements and model predictions of water temperature and dissolved oxygen

Courtesy of Jack Barth

Soft sediment habitats are highly dynamic, biologically diverse, subject to multiple uses and poorly known

Highly dynamic Biologically rich Multiple uses

Nearshore and estuarine habitats are intertwined

Estuarine AND coastal nursery areas

Objectives and approaches

Diagram: courtesy of Morgan Bancroft30-55 mm

20-40 mm

Experimental design

- 4 temperature 5-12oC

- 3 DO (0.5-6.0 mll-1)

- 2 replicates

- 30 days trial

-Two-year study

1. Experimentally determine effect of water temperature and dissolved oxygen on English sole and Dungeness crab body growth

2. Based on experimental rates, predict the potential for growth in coastal and estuarine habitat types, from field measurements and model predictions of water temperature and dissolved oxygen

Why an experimental approach?

1. DO and temperature are often correlated: hard to disentangle

2. Need to define rates in order to make predictions

Estuary and coast DO vs Temp

Why are we excited about this and why it matters?

1. Quantify the additive and interactive effects of water temperature and dissolved oxygen on English sole and Dungeness crab body growth

- Disentangle confounding effects of water temperature and DO

2. Predictions of ‘habitat quality’ over contrasting years

- Disentangle role of estuarine vs coastal nurseries

3. Study aligns with ongoing efforts for Coastal Marine Spatial Planning by providing information on habitat characteristics and impact of environmental stressors

- MPAs, Wave energy development, disposal sites of dredge sediment

4. Study focuses on commercially important species for OR coastal fisheries

- Oregon Dungeness crab commission:

‘Projects that may provide a better understanding of the impacts linked to the recurring

hypoxic events along the coast would be valuable to the crab industry’

‘work related to ‘habitat quality’ is very timely in the face of proposed wave energy development in areas considered to be some of the most productive for Dungeness

crab’

Opportunity for coordination, outreach, and stakeholders involvement

1. Integrate results from Dr. Lerczak model to generate scenarios of habitat characteristics

2. Plan research activities and share results with Oregon Dungeness crab commission (Nick Furman)

3. Develop visual and text displays at the visitor center of the HMSC on the relevance of estuarine and coastal nursery areas (Bill Hanshumaker)