La Jolla
Ecological
Reserve Study
A Sea Grant
funded study by Scripps
Institute of Oceanography (SIO) along with Project Pacific's
help in coordination of volunteers and surveys.
Introduction
The nearly 30 year-old San Diego Underwater Ecological Reserve has
never been surveyed to establish a "baseline" nor to assess its current state.
Hopefully its animal and plant residents are more diverse and abundant than areas outside
the Reserve.
Project
This is a community project and is
not officially associated with SIO. Public assistance has been
requested by SIO in two areas: visual observations and oceanographic
equipment. Divers, swimmers*, and fishermen
can assist in performing visual transects, stationary observations, and recording
universal events/observations. Current meters, temperature/depth recorders, drifters, and
other equipment can be loaned/donated to the project.
Project Pacific
helps coordinate external efforts and provides the appropriate liaison with SIO.
This involves working with the San Diego Council of Divers, La Jolla Cove Swim
Club, San Diego Lifeguards, Sportfishing fleet, and others. Project
Pacific also provides a public communications/awareness mechanism in coordination
with SIO.
Benefit
The multi-year study will provide
marine resource managers with timely information relative to the characteristics of Marine
Managed Areas, a topic of worldwide interest. Public involvement will
"vest" the community in the study and create the sort of "outreach"
program that greatly interests SIO.
* ATTENTION SWIMMERS: Click here for observation form.
Public Meeting: June
5, 2001
A public meeting to discuss the
first comprehensive study of the San Diego–La Jolla Ecological Reserve
was held at 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, June 5, 2001, at the Sumner
Auditorium, Scripps Institute of Oceanography on La Jolla Shores
Drive.
Dr. Paul Dayton, Professor
of Oceanography, and others described the current knowledge of the 512-acre
Ecological Reserve, which was established in 1972. As
one of the first and largest no fishing areas along the California coast, it is
known to have an abundance of sealife. However, there has never been a comprehensive
investigation of its flora and fauna.
Dr. Dayton’s
three-year Sea Grant funded study will quantify key fish and shellfish
species and attempt to determine their reproductive role as reservoirs for populating the Reserve
and other areas. The public is invited to assist in the study. Divers, swimmers,
boaters, and fishers may participate by providing information about the various
sealife they observe. Additionally, SCUBA divers are invited to help the Scripps
scientists with underwater surveys. There are many other opportunities for the public to
support Dr. Dayton and these were described at the June 5 meeting.
Second Meeting:
Tuesday, July 24, 2001
The purpose of the meeting was to
discuss the first phase of the project. During this phase, descriptions and, if
possible, species lists, of specific sites that have been identified as possible
study sites from initial sonar surveys are needed. The logistics of accomplishing
just such a task were discussed at this meeting.
For further information contact Dr.
Ed Parnell of Scripps Institution of Oceanography: edparnell@ucsd.edu.
Click here
for a map to Sumner Auditorium.
See http://ljreserve.ucsd.edu for more details about the project.
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