Continental Shelf Characterization, Assessment and Mapping (C-SCAMP)

Project Type(s):sighting

Site Name:Continental Shelf Characterization, Assessment and Mapping (C-SCAMP)

Site Reference Number:104

Region(s):

Approximate Latitude: 28 Approximate Longitude: -84

Principal Investigator(s):Lembke, Chad; Murawski, Steven A

Collaborator(s):Broadbent, Heather

Point(s) of Contact:Broadbent, Heather - Phone Number: 727-553-1287, Email: hbroadbent@mail.usf.edu

Organizations Involved:

Organization Type(s):

Project Status: Active

Start Date: 01/2016

End Date: n/a

General Method(s) Used:boat survey

	Visual	Capture
Sampling regime:	opportunistically	n/a
Measure of effort:	obs/effort	none

Bottom Type(s):hardbottom, sand, livebottom, other

Water Type Zone: benthic Water Type Environment: marine

Min. Depth (m): 25.6 Max. Depth (m): 72.8

Mean Depth (m): 46.3

Species	No. of Captures	No. of Sightings	Min Size* (cm)	Max Size* (cm)	Mean Size* (cm)	FP Observed	Life Stages**	Comments
Green Turtle (Cm)	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Loggerhead (Cc)	0	69	34.0	n/a	85.7	n/a	N, S, A	Straightline Carapace measurements made using photos & SeaGIS measurement software.
Kemp's Ridley (Lk)	0	4	66.0	66.0	66.0	n/a	A	Straightline Carapace measurement using photos & SeaGIS measurement software.
Hawksbill (Ei)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Leatherback (Dc)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Unidentified	n/a	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

*All size measurements are SSCL unless otherwise indicated
** For Cm, Cc, Lk, & Ei: O - Oceanic-stage juvenile; N - Neritic-stage juvenile; S - Subadult; A - Adult. For Dc: I - Immature; A - Adult. n/a = not applicable; n/r = not reported.

photo ID

Though the West Florida Shelf is heavily utilized in terms of its abundant fisheries, much of it remains un-mapped and poorly characterized. Currently, high resolution bathymetry exists for only approximately 5% of this entire area. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Endangered Species Acts there have been priorities set for management plans, namely the periodic or permanent closure of areas where spawning aggregations occur and/or where bycatch of organisms such as sea turtles is high. To better inform these decisions, more data and information about the West Florida Shelf is needed and this project seeks to fill some of the gaps. This National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)-funded project began in April of 2015 and will continue through 2018. During this time, there will be at least three sets of multibeam and C-BASS (video mapping) cruises per year (approximately 8 days each = 48 days/year). With this plan for field operations, we hope to double the amount of multibeam available for the WFS and bring the total coverage closer to 10%. Throughout this project we will also be holding public workshops to disseminate findings and reports and publications will be continually posted on the project's website (http://www.marine.usf.edu/scamp) as they become available.

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