Multiscale assessment of spatial population dynamics of inshore rockfish populations

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Climate change, habitat alteration, and over-exploitation are the main processes that threaten marine populations world-wide, including those in Canada. Inshore rockfish populations (e.g., Sebastes caurinus, S. maliger) in deep fjord marine ecosystems around the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia (B.C.) may be particularly at-risk because these threats have already been documented and will likely increase in the future. Furthermore, rockfish have life-history and ecological characteristics that are common among extinct, or threatened, marine species. For example, rockfish are long-lived (45-76 yr), have relatively low birthrates, high age-at-maturity (12-18 yr), and low mobility following settlement to deep rocky reefs. It is therefore not surprising that some rockfish populations in the U.S.A. are considered "at risk of extinction". My research combines empirical and modeling approaches to improve predictions of the population consequences of environmental change. This proposal describes two specific field research programs that support my long-term research goals. First, I propose to examine local-scale relationships among habitat complexity, population density, growth, and survival of inshore rockfish. These "density-dependent" processes are central to rockfish population sustainability as well as our ability to determine essential fish habitat. My second objective examines regional-scale connectivity, or the exchange of individuals among rockfish populations. Connectivity is determined by the spatial distribution of habitat patches, the dispersal ability of inshore rockfish larvae, and the local oceanographic features such as currents and food availability. These factors, among others, combine to determine the long-term response of inshore rockfish populations to climate change. The inter-disciplinary research in this proposal offers an ideal opportunity for training highly qualified environmental biologists and future resource managers. My emphasis on empirical field research and quantitative analysis fosters graduate and undergraduate academic preparation, technical skill, leadership, and logistical planning and execution.