Fishes of Marine Protected Areas Near La Jolla, California

2014·20.4 MB·English

by  P A Hastings

Bull. SouthernCaliforniaAcad. Sci.
113(3),2014,pp.200-231
©SouthernCaliforniaAcademyofSciences,2014
Fishes of Marine Protected Areas Near LaJolla, California
P. A. Hastings,1* M. T. Craig,2 B. E. Erisman,3 J. R. Hyde,4 and H. J. Walker1
1Marine Biology Research Division, Marine Vertebrate Collection & Centerfor
Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution ofOceanography,
University ofCalifornia San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0208 U.S.A.
2Department ofEnvironmental and Ocean Sciences, University ofSan Diego,
San Diego, CA 92110 U.S.A.
3University ofTexas, The University ofTexas Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel
View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373
4Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA/NMFS, 8901 La Jolla Shores Dr.,
La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
—
Abstract. The marine waters surrounding La Jolla, California have a diverse array
ofhabitats and include several marine protected areas (MPAs). We compiled a list of
the fish species occurring in the vicinity based on records of specimens archived in
the Marine Vertebrate Collection (MVC) ofthe Scripps Institution ofOceanography
MVC
(SIO). Collection of fishes from La Jolla in the started in 1905, but greatly
accelerated in 1944 when Carl L. Hubbs moved to SIO. By 1964, 90% of the 265
species recorded from the area had been collected and archived in the MVC. The
fishes of La Jolla are dominated by species whose center of distribution is north of
Point Conception (111 species), or between there and Punta Eugenia (96), with fewer
species with southern distributions (57), and one exotic species. Reflecting the
diversity ofhabitats in the area, soft-substrate species number 135, pelagic species 63,
canyon-dwelling species 123 (including 35 rockfish species of the genus Sebastes
),
and hard-bottom species 140. We quantified the abundance of the latter group
between 2002 and 2005 by counting visible fishes in transects along the rocky
coastline ofLa Jolla, both within and adjacent to one ofthe region’s MPAs. In 500
transects, we counted over 90,000 fishes representing 51 species. The fish
MPA
communities inside and outside of the were similar and, typical of southern
California kelp forests, numerically dominated by Blacksmith, Chromispunctipinnis
(Pomacentridae), and Senorita, Oxyjulis californica (Labridae). Natural history
MVC
collections such as the are important resources for conservation biology for
determining the faunal composition of MPAs and surrounding habitats, and
documenting both the disappearance and invasion of species.
The coastal environment in and around La Jolla, San Diego County, California is
notable for its complex and diverse array ofhabitats within a relatively small area. These
include kelp forests, rocky reefs, rocky intertidal, sandy beaches, sand and mud subtidal
areas, eelgrass and surf-grass stands, pier pilings, and submarine canyons, as well as the
pelagic environment. Because of the proximity of the La Jolla and Scripps submarine
canyons, depths range to over 500 meters within less than 7 km of the coastline. These
diverse habitats support a rich marine community, which has served as the focus of a
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
200
FISHES OF LA JOLLA 201
variety of scientific investigations (e.g., Limbaugh 1955; Quast 1968; Craig et al. 2004;
Brueggeman 2008).
The nearshore environment of La Jolla is especially important within the context of
marine conservation because it houses a network ofmarine protected areas (MPAs) of
varying size and age and with varying levels ofuse restrictions (Fig. 1). Historically, the
first ofthese was the San Diego Marine Life Refuge established in 1957, which included
the Scripps Coastal Reserve, a part of the University of California Natural Reserve
system (McArdle 1997). Directly to the south is the San Diego-La Jolla Ecological
Reserve (SDLJER), a small no-take reserve on the northern end of the La Jolla rocky
coastline that was established in 1971. The San Diego-La Jolla Ecological Reserve Areas
of Special Biological Significance was established in 1974 and largely overlapped the
SDLJER (McArdle 1997). Recently the SDLJER was included in the Matlahuayl State
Marine Reserve (CDFG 2013). In addition, the area on the southern part ofthe La Jolla
peninsula was recently designated as the South La Jolla State Marine Reserve, and an
areadirectlywest ofthatwasdesignated asthe South LaJolla State MarineConservation
Area (CDFG 2013). These MPAs have a variety ofuse restrictions, but all recognize and
seek to protect the biodiversity ofthis ecologically important region.
This study documents the fish fauna in and around this series of marine protected
areas. The primary source of information on fishes occurring in the La Jolla area was
the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Marine Vertebrate Collection (MVC). The
MVC
important roles ofnatural history collections such as the to conservation biology
have been widely documented (Allman 1994; Pyke and Ehrlich 2010; Drew 2011). These
includecompiling biotic inventories, documenting theloss or degradation ofhabitats and
associated biota, documenting changes in the distribution and occurrence of native
species, and documenting species invasions. In addition to compiling an inventory offish
species collected in the area and archived in the MVC, we report on diver surveys ofthe
abundance and diversity offishes in kelp forests, one ofthe most prominent habitats in
the area, in and around the SDLJER (now the Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve) from
2002 to 2005.
BriefHistory ofFish Collecting in the La Jolla Area
Themarinefishes ofCaliforniahavebeen studied formanydecades andarewell-known
(Miller and Lea 1972, 1976; Hubbs et al. 1979; Love et al. 2005; Allen et al. 2006) with at
least519speciesknownfromstatewaters(Hornetal. 2006). Inadditiontoearlycollections
offishesfromtheSanDiegoareareportedbyJordanandGilbert (1880, 1881), thestudyof
fishes in the San Diego region of southern California was begun in earnest with the
Albatross surveys (Moring 1999) as reported by C.H. Gilbert (1890, 1896, 1915), aswell as
inventories by Eigenmann and Eigenmann (1890) and Eigenmann (1892).
The establishment ofthe Scripps Institution ofOceanography (SIO) in the San Diego
region in 1903 and its subsequent move to La Jolla in 1905 marked a significant increase
in the study ofthe region’s biota (Hastings and Rosenblatt 2003). The on-site aquarium
displayed many ofthe common shallow-water fish species ofthe area. In 1918, Percy S.
Barnhart (Fig. 2A) was appointed as Collector and Curator of the Aquarium, and in
1926, Barnhart was elevated to the position of Curator of the Biological Collections, a
position he held until 1948. Barnhart studied the local fishes leading to a publication on
the fishes ofsouthern California (Barnhart 1936), and he assembled a small collection of
preserved specimens from the region that ultimately formed the basis ofthe SIO Marine
Vertebrate Collection (MVC).
202 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
117*20OW 117*18'0'W 117*16‘0"W ii7*i-row
i
SouthernCaliforniaMPAs
igiMatlahuaylSlateMarineReserve
BBBSanDiego-ScrippsCoastalStateMarineConservationArea
SouthLaJoliaMarineConservationArea
SouthLaJollaStateMarineReserve
Studyarea
L.VJStudyarea
Fig. 1. Map ofstudy area with MPAs designated. Kelp forestfishes were surveyed at La Jolla Cove
and Boomers.
Knowledge ofthe ichthyofauna ofthe region greatly increased after 1944when Carl L.
Hubbs (Fig. 2B) moved to SIO and began actively archiving collections of fishes in the
MVC. In negotiations regarding his forthcoming move from the University ofMichigan
to SIO, Hubbs wrote to then SIO Director Harald Sverdrup:
“I would no doubt want to put considerable emphasis on systematic and variational
studies ofwest coast marine fishes, particularly those in which speciation would be
correlated with oceanographical (sic) conditions...I would no doubt be interested in
exploratory work, for instance with the fauna of the deep basins off the southern
California coast. I will probably be interested too in detailed analyses of the
distribution of fishes along the entire west coast, again as correlated with the
oceanographic conditions.” (Shor et al. 1987, pp. 226-227).
Before his arrival in October 1944, Hubbs convinced Sverdrup to invest in facilities to
store his anticipated collection of fishes, leading to the ultimate establishment of the
FISHES OF LA JOLLA 203
Fig.2. PhotosofA)PercyS. Barnhart, 1935;B)CarlL.Hubbs, 1973;C)RichardH.Rosenblatt, 1979;
D) aviewofLaJolla Shores and LaJollapeninsulalookingsouthwardfrom the SIOcampus, circa 1910
(arrow indicates small embayment at La Jolla Shores). All images are from the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography Archives, UC San Diego Library.
MVC
(Shor et al. 1987). Hubbs wasted little time in collecting fishes from the
surroundings ofthe SIO campus, amassing over 200 collections in his first year and over
500 by the end ofthe decade (Fig. 3).
Hubbs had another California project in mind when considering the move to La Jolla.
In 1944hewrotetoW. I. Follett in Oakland, withwhom hehad beencorrespondingfora
decade:
“I look forward particularly to cooperating with you in making better known the
California fish fauna. I no doubt will have newmaterial published from time to time
on the systematics and biology of the fishes but will definitely hope that you will
204 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Year
Fig. 3. Number ofcollections offishes made within the study area and archived in the SIO Marine
Vertebrate Collection by year (bars) and cumulative number ofspecies recorded from those collections
within the study area (line).
maintain your plan to work toward a ‘Fishes ofCalifornia.’ It will be a pleasure to
make records and other information available for your project.” (Shor et al. 1987,
p. 227).
That project was published shortly after Hubb’s death in 1979 (Hubbs et al. 1979).
In 1958, Professor and Curator Richard H. Rosenblatt (Fig. 2C) was hired to oversee
the growing collection of fishes at SIO. He and other researchers and students at SIO
actively collected fishes in and around the La Jolla region. By the end of 1969, over 1,000
MVC
collections and well over 3,000 lots offishes from La Jolla had been archived in the
(Fig. 3). Local collecting of fishes declined after that time due to diverging research
MVC
interests, and constraints ofspace in the for storage ofspecimens. Since that time,
the MVC has archived specimens offishes from the La Jolla region primarily when new
or unusual specimens become available, specimens from focused efforts associated with
faunal inventories of the area (e.g., Craig et al., 2004; Craig and Pondella, 2006), and
MVC
voucher specimens for the growing tissue collection, established by H.J. Walker in
1993 (Hastings and Burton, 2008).
Materials and Methods
We compiled a list of fishes recorded from La Jolla, California based on specimens
MVC
collected and archived in the of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
University ofCalifornia San Diego (Table 1). We included all species collected less than
W
10 km from shore (east of 117°20.5' longitude) and from Torrey Pines State Beach
southward to Tourmaline Beach (32°54' N - 32°48' N latitude). This area includes the
entire rocky headland ofLaJolla, aswell as theprimaryconservation areas in thevicinity
(Fig. 1). These include the San Diego-Scripps Coastal State Marine Conservation Area,
the Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve, the South La Jolla State Marine Reserve and
Marine Conservation Area (CDFG 2013).
FISHES OF LA JOLLA 205
Whilesomecollectionsdatetotheearly 1900sandafewweremadeinrecentyears,most
weremadebetween 1944and 1969(Fig. 3). Archivedspecimenswerecollectedusingawide
variety ofsamplingmethods and were taken from the beach or ocean surface to depths of
over500meters. SpeciesarelistedinTable 1 arrangedintaxonomicorder. Commonnames
offamilies and species follow those recognized by the American Fisheries Society (Page et
al. 2013). Brief information on habitat or habitats occupied and special occurrences is
provided for each species. Habitat type was divided into three categories as follows: H —
hard substrates including rocky reef, rocky intertidal, kelp forest, sides of pier pilings,
,
bouldersoranyothertypeofhardsubstrate; S= softbottom includingsand,mud,eelgrass
,
and surfgrass; P = pelagic including species that always swim well above the bottom, as
,
well as those that periodically or regularly swim several meters above the bottom. Also
indicated in Table 1 are the species collected in the La Jolla and Scripps Canyons from >
30metersdepth (= Cn), andthespeciesobservedintransectsconductedinandadjacentto
the SDLJER (= Tr) between 2002 and 2005 (see below).
Frequencyofoccurrenceisbasedonthenumberoflots(occurrences)ofeachspeciesthat
MVC
havebeenarchivedinthe thatwerecollectedwithinthedesignatedarea, regardlessof
theabundanceofthespecies. Common (C) speciesarethose representedbyelevenormore
collections, uncommon U) specieswerecollectedinthe studyareafrom threeto tentimes,
(
and rare (R) species were collected only once or twice in the La Jolla study area. In a few
cases, species that are known byus orreported by others to be more common in the study
area than indicated by collection records are indicated with an asterisk (*). The
biogeographic distribution ofeach species was designated based on the mid-point ofthe
entire known range of the species. Range endpoints are from Horn et al. (2006),
supplemented as needed based on published distribution records (e.g., Love et al. 2005).
Southernspecies(S)arethosewhoserangemidpointissouthofPuntaEugeniaontheouter
coast ofBaja California (27°50' N), northern species N) have range midpoints north of
(
Point Conception (34°27' N), and central species (C) have range midpoints between these
well-established biogeographic barriers (Brusca and Wallerstein 1979; Horn et al. 2006).
Between2002 and 2005, theabundance offishes associatedwithkelpforestswasvisually
surveyed at La Jolla Cove (within the SDLJER, now called the Matlahuayl State Marine
Reserve) and an adjacent site (Boomers) a short distance beyond the reserve boundary
m
(Fig. 1). Both sites have moderate reliefrocky reefs (1-3 high) scattered throughout the
area and are dominated by red algal turfreefs and kelp forests (Parnell et al. 2005, 2006).
Survey protocols were modeled after established techniques for assessing abundance and
densityofconspicuousfishes(McCormickandChoat 1987;Pondellaetal. 2005). Randomly
selected, quantitative belt transects were swum by two SCUBA divers for a period of
5 minutes over a distance of50 m. All fishes (excluding pelagic species) observed within a
two-meter window (i.e., one meter on either side of the diver and one meter above and
below) along the transect were identified to species where possible, and the number of
individuals was counted by each diver. Ifcounts from the divers differed, the average was
recorded. Each transect accounted for 100 m2 of bottom area surveyed. Three replicate
transects wereconducted along rockyreefsubstrates ateach offourdepths (3 m, 6 m, 9 m,
and 12 m) for a total of twelve transects at each site per survey period. Surveys were
conducted every two months for a total ofsix periods per year between January 2002 and
December2005. Atcertain periods throughoutthe study, persistent foulweatherprevented
full surveys at each sample site, especially for the shallowest depth contours. However, at
least six transects were conducted at every site during each sample period throughout the
studyexceptforJuly/August2004whencontinuoushighsurfprecludedsurveysatBoomers.
i
206 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAACADEMY OF SCIENCES
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