Anne H. Beaudreau

Advancing the use of local ecological knowledge for assessing data‐poor species in coastal ecosystems

Many of the worlds most vulnerable and rapidly changing ecosystems are also among the most data-poor, leading to an increased interest in use of local ecological knowledge (LEK) to document long-term environmental change. The integration of multiple knowledge sources for assessing species abundance and distribution has gained traction over the past decade as a growing number of case studies show concordance between LEK and scientific data. This study advances the use of quantitative approaches for synthesizing LEK by presenting a novel application of bootstrapping and statistical modeling to evaluate variance in ecological observations of fisheries practitioners. We developed an historical record of abundance for 22 marine species in Puget Sound, Washington (USA), using LEK, and we quantified variation in perceptions of abundance trends among fishers, divers, and researchers. These individuals differed in aspects of their information environments, which are characterized by how, when, and where an individual has acquired ecological information. Abundance trends derived from interviews suggest that populations of long-lived rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) have been in decline since at least the 1960s and that three rockfishes protected under the Endangered Species Act were perceived as relatively less abundant than other species. Differences in perception of rockfish abundance trends among age groups were consistent with our hypothesis that the reported magnitude of decline in abundance would increase with age, with younger respondents more likely to report high abundance than older individuals across all periods. Temporal patterns in the mean and variance of reported rockfish abundance indices were qualitatively similar between fishers and researchers; however, fishers reported higher indices of abundance than researchers for all but one rockfish species. The two respondent groups reported similar changes in rockfish abundance from the 1940s to 2000s, except for two recreationally valuable species that fishers perceived as having undergone greater declines than perceived by researchers. When aggregated at appropriate spatial-temporal scales and in a culturally appropriate manner, observations of resource users are a valuable source of ecological information. Continued development of creative analytical tools for synthesizing multiple knowledge sources will be essential for advancing the formal use of LEK in assessments of marine species.

Spatial, Temporal, and Ontogenetic Patterns of Predation on Rockfishes by Lingcod

Abstract Predators often play a key role in structuring their prey populations in aquatic systems. We described patterns of predation on rockfishes Sebastes spp. by lingcod Ophiodon elongatus, a top predator in nearshore rocky reef communities along the West Coast of North America, to improve our understanding of the variability, magnitude, and constraints of lingcod feeding on rockfishes. From spring 2004 through fall 2005 we collected diet data from 560 lingcod in the San Juan Archipelago, Washington. Rockfishes were a common component of adult lingcod diets, making up 6.8% of the total diet by number, 11.0% by mass, and 10.5% by frequency of occurrence. Rockfishes were consumed by lingcod in all of the time periods and locations sampled during this study, but rockfish mass and frequency of occurrence in lingcod stomachs varied temporally and spatially. The total mass of rockfish consumed by lingcod during fall 2005 was estimated to be approximately three times as high in marine reserves as in nearby no...

Development of a new field-based approach for estimating consumption rates of fishes and comparison with a bioenergetics model for lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus)

Development of quantitative tools to characterize the nature of predator–prey interactions is an essential component of the science supporting ecosystem-based management and conservation. A common constraint is our capacity to estimate the feeding rates of fishes at the temporal and spatial scales at which predation occurs. This study developed a new field-based modeling approach for estimating consumption rates of large predatory fishes that requires fewer assumptions and may be more flexible than other field-based methods. We compared the field-based model results with consumption estimates from a bioenergetics model for lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus), a top predator in nearshore rocky habitats along the west coast of North America. The models were used to determine population-level consumption of rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) by lingcod in marine reserves and nonreserve areas in the San Juan Channel, Washington, USA. Based on these models, rockfish consumption by lingcod may have been 5–10 times greater in ...

Movement Patterns and Distributional Shifts of Dungeness Crab (Metacarcinus magister) and English Sole (Parophrys vetulus) During Seasonal Hypoxia

Hypoxia (dissolved oxygenu2009<u20092xa0mgxa0L–1) has emerged as a worldwide threat to coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Beyond direct mortality, secondary ecological impacts caused by hypoxia-driven distributional shifts may be equally important. From July–November 2009 and June–September 2010, we quantified the movement patterns of Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) and English sole (Parophrys vetulus) in Hood Canal, Washington USA, a seasonally hypoxic estuary. Although highly mobile (mean cumulative distanceu2009±u2009SDu2009=u200911.0u2009±u200925.6xa0km, Nu2009=u200960), there was little evidence of either species exhibiting large-scale directional movement out of the hypoxic region. However, Dungeness crab showed significant shifts towards shallower waters and elevation in activity in the hypoxic region, potentially increasing their vulnerability to crabbing and other indirect ecological consequences. Our findings suggest hypoxia could have a more localized impact on the mobile fauna in Hood Canal. However, more detailed information concerning the local-scale oxygen dynamics and responses of these species, such as English sole vertical movement, is essential for grasping the population and community level effects of hypoxia.

Suitability of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) as a Measure of Relative Growth Rates in Lingcod

Abstract The effectiveness of spatial management strategies is typically evaluated through traditional biological measurements of size, density, biomass, and the diversity of species inside and outside management boundaries. However, there have been relatively few attempts to evaluate the processes underlying these biological patterns. In this study, we take the first step toward developing a relative index of body growth for lingcod Ophiodon elongatus using plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) with the ultimate goal of measuring spatial differences in relative growth rates. Insulin-like growth factor 1 is one of the principal hormones that stimulates growth at the cellular level in all vertebrates and shows significant relationships with body growth in many fishes. In the laboratory, we found that the level of IGF1 was related to the instantaneous growth of juvenile lingcod. In the field, we measured size, condition, and plasma IGF1 level in 149 lingcod from eight locations inside and outside marine protected areas in the San Juan Islands, Washington. The IGF1 levels in wild lingcod were highly variable from site to site for both genders, and we were able to detect differences in IGF1 across space in males. Multivariate analyses showed that the spatial patterns of IGF1 differed from those of traditional biological measurements. More work is needed to validate the relationship between IGF1 and growth in larger individuals, but our research shows the potential for IGF1 to be used as an ecological indicator.