Executive Summary - Department of Invertebrate Zoology

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between areas D and E, and J1 on the continental slope off Area F .
These statior ,s constituted a section roughly perpendicular to the
shoreline and slope break and extending from 9 km (15 m depth) to 145
km (400 n depth) offshore (Figure 2) .
1916-1971 Sampiing Yrdr
Second year study objectives remaine .i unchanged and thus, except
fur a few minor changes and the initiation of come new studies, the
samF•l+ng scheme for the 1976-1977 sampling year was similar to the
first year .
Benthic Cluster Stations . Preliminary first year results
suggested that some stations could be eliminated due to faunal
similarity with other locations . Thus sampling was discontinued at
the tour cluster stations, C1, C3, D2, and D3 (Figure 2) . These
stations are a considerable distance Inshore from the lease areas and
were yielding little additional information . It was decided to retain
only one ridge and one swale station in each of these two cluster
areas .
Benthic Transect Stations . Sairpling at seven transect stations,
Li, L3, Ki, K3, G1, G3, and G7, (rigure 2) was discontinued after the
first sampling year . Stations L1, KI, and G1 were located far from
the lease areas and any pollution event associated with oil
development . Thus it vaa only necessary to document general community
structure over a one year period . Stations L3, K3, and G3, although
some distance seaward of L2, K2 . and G2, were only about 10 m greater
in depth than the latter stations and thus faunistically similar .
Sampling at Station G7 was disconr :nu-d because it was faunistically
similar to H1 and H2 and was pe :iph ::rally out of the study area .
Wate r Column Stations . .n ;rder to more completely define
seasonal neuston and subsurface zooalankt-n community structure in the
present and future lease area,, ,: trinsect of 4 stations (,L1, L2, L4,
L6) from the coast of Virginia o the shelf-edge near Norfolk Canyon
was added, as well as two statio .is (B5, A2) to the north of the
original transect .
Habitat Delineation StudY . In order to determine if it was
possible to extrapolate results from fixed stations located in
topographically complex areas to other regions of the same features,
or to similar features in other areas, and to document the
relationsi(ip between bEnt.hic invertebrates and demersal fishes, a
habitat del+neation study was conducted . Cluster areas B and E were
chosen because many of the prime lease tracts are in these reg :ons .
Both regions were stratified bac,ed on existing bathymetry and sediment
data and stations were determin•ad by random select'on of Loran C
coordinates . Sampling was conducted during fall 19 76 for oegabenthos
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