appendix b final 2008 biological surveys of los angeles and long ...

3.0 Adult and Juvenile Fishes
3.0 ADULT AND JUVENILE FISHES
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Surveys of fish populations within POLA and
POLB have been conducted since the early
1970s, with more than 100 species reported
between 1971 and 1979 (Horn and Allen 1981).
Studies during the 1970s, 1980, and 1990s
primarily sampled fish communities using otter
trawls, with other gear types such as lampara
nets, gill nets, and beach seines used to a lesser
extent (Horn and Allen 1981). While some earlier
studies focused on characterizing fish
assemblages within limited areas of one harbor
(e.g., Horn and Hagner 1982, Allen et al. 1983,
MEC 1999), a few studies sampled fish harborwide.
For example, MEC (1988) conducted a
large-scale study of Los Angeles outer harbor in 1986-1987 and utilized a number of gear types,
including otter trawls, lampara nets, gill nets, minnow seines, and beach seines to describe fish
populations. Similarly, MBC (1984) and SAIC and MEC (1996) completed surveys of inner and
outer harbor areas in the Port of Long Beach for proposed development projects.
The goal of the current study was to describe the fish communities (pelagic and demersal) at 19
stations within the harbor complex using lampara and otter trawl gear. Shallow-water fish
species were also sampled at two stations in the Port of Los Angeles using a beach seine. This
study represents an update to the previous baseline survey conducted in 2000 by MEC
Analytical Systems, Inc. (MEC 2002), and compares results with previous studies to address
historical trends.
Detailed methods for each gear type are presented in Section 3.2. Sections 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5
provide the results from pelagic (lampara), demersal (otter trawl), and beach seine sampling,
respectively. Community summary measures, species composition, size frequency distribution
of catch, and historical comparisons are presented in each of these sections. Section 3.6
addresses the occurrence of exotic, non-indigenous, or uncommon species collected during the
current study. Additional data for each gear type is presented in Appendix C, including a
summary table of all the species collected using each gear type (Table C-1).
3.2 METHODOLOGY
Fish sampling using otter trawls and lampara nets was completed at 19 stations (10 in POLA
and 9 in POLB) during both day and night surveys (Tables 3.2-1 and 3.2-2; Figure 3.2-1). Fish
sampling using beach seines was completed at two stations in POLA (Table 3.2-3, Figure 3.2-
1). Fish were sampled quarterly in winter (January), spring (April), and summer (July) 2008. All
pelagic and demersal fish sampling over all quarters (day and night) was conducted from the
M/V Early Bird II, owned and operated by Seaventures, Inc. The vessel was equipped with a
differential Global Positioning System (dGPS) used to locate sampling stations accurately. In
addition, a forward-facing sonar was used to verify that trawl locations were free of potential
items that could snag the net (debris, large rocks, etc). A fathometer was used to record
bottom/water depth at each station (+ 0.5 ft accuracy).
2008 Biological Surveys of Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors 3–1
April 2010