policy report - Census of Marine Life

A DECADE OF DISCOVERYmicrobe. As new tools in taxonomists’ toolboxes, thesewill become increasingly important if the current shortageof taxonomists persists.Complementing the genetic advances, a project oncoral reefs developed Autonomous Reef MonitoringStructures, 500 of which are now deployed in the Pacificand Indian oceans and the Caribbean. These structurescollect specimens and ecological data that are used tomonitor tropical coral reef biodiversity. Collected specimensare analyzed using DNA barcoding techniques,which gives an overall picture of the biodiversity in an area[Figure 8].The Census has contributed much to advancing thebiological components of the incipient Global OceanObserving System, from serving as a prototype for theOcean Tracking Network , a growing global network ofseafloor-mounted microphones to track salmon andother migrant animals, to developing new sonar devicesthat make it possible to observe how marine lifeassembles over huge areas, forming shoals in a matterof seconds, to creating a legion of “bio-logger” animalsthat transmit data about oceanographic conditions inwhich they travel. In addition, the Census has workedto standardize the way global data is collected, allowingfor comparisons between regions.• Piloting ecosystem-based management. The Censushelped pioneer work on the ecosystem approach tomanagement through a pilot study making use of thewell-researched Gulf of Maine ecosystem. The projectused new technologies and an ecosystem approach to gobeyond species information to learn about populations,their habitats, and animal interactions with one anotherand their environment. The findings have enhancedthe capacity to track the abundance of the populationof commercial species and provide improved indicatorsof ecosystem health.2. Information for Marine Protection Decisionsat the Ecosystem LevelAlready, Census of Marine Life technology, tools, anddata have been used in governance and managementfor protecting marine life. In the future, such uses willincrease.•Deep-sea ecosystems. The Global Biodiversity Outlook3, published in 2010 by the Convention on BiologicalDiversity, noted increasing concern for deep-waterhabitats, such as seamounts and cold-water corals. Theseslow-growing marine life communities can be vulnerableas new fisheries resources are discovered, then exploited.Providing for precautionary protection before exploitationis a challenge, especially in areas beyond nationaljurisdictions, such as beyond the 200 nautical mile limitsof countries or outside jurisdictional areas of regionalfisheries management organizations. Several Censusprojects have been at the forefront of working with industry,policy makers, and conservationists to help providedata upon which decisions can be based.Even where data are scarce, indicator species of certainecological assemblages can be used as proxies to suggestwhich areas to protect. Through modeling, Censusscientists have predicted the likely distribution of deep-seacorals that not only are indicator species, but also highlyvulnerable to impacts from fishing and mining.Regional fisheries management organizations, suchas the South Pacific Regional Fisheries ManagementOrganization, have used Census information on indicatorspecies to predict where habitats sensitive to fishingmight occur.SAMUDRI JEEVAN KA GANAN7. The Harte Research Institute, a Census affiliate, published the firstbaseline of marine life in the Gulf of Mexico in 2009 and made itavailable online shortly thereafter. The assessment listed 15,419 species,8,342 of which were recorded in the area of the BP oil discharge.Source: Harte Research Institute8. Artificial Reef Monitoring Structures are small boxes made out ofPVC with many tiny holes for invertebrates such as crabs, and mollusksto inhabit. They are designed to mimic the reef environment, and aftera year or two the boxes are removed from the reef and studied to seewhat organisms settled inside and on top of them. Source: AndyCollins, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration8