The Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems, or EXPRESS initiative is a multi-year, multi-agency project to survey and map undersea habitat throughout the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Scientists and engineers from NOAA, the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) conducted a 29-day expedition aboard NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker along the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts, including sites within four National Marine Sanctuaries. GFOE’s ROVs and satellite system were used for this telepresence-enabled cruise, in partnership with OER. This EXPRESS expedition represented an unprecedented level of government cooperation. Eight different NOAA offices along with USGS and BOEM contributed financial or scientific expertise. During this expedition, researchers surveyed deep-sea coral and sponge environments off the U.S. West Coast. This cruise was part of a four-year West Coast Deep Sea Coral Initiative, supported by the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, to better understand the basic biology, abundance, and diversity of deep-sea coral throughout the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem as well as their ecological role with invertebrates and fish. The researchers collected samples to help identify West Coast corals and sponges, and revisit previously surveyed sites to document changes that have occurred over time. One was to collect essential fish habitat baseline information at 12 sites along the West Coast. The Pacific Fishery Management Council proposed modifications to these habitats to better support commercially important groundfish. Another important goal of characterizing this undersea habitat was to inform possible locations offshore northern and central California for wind energy development. Characterization identified sensitive habitats to avoid when establishing future offshore wind energy sites.

Marine reserves are becoming progressively more important as anthropogenic impacts continue to increase, but we have little baseline information for most marine environments. In this study, we focus on the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in northern Australia, particularly the carbonate banks and terraces of the Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise which have been designated a Key Ecological Feature (KEF). We use a species-level inventory compiled from three marine surveys to the CMR to address several questions relevant to marine management: 1) Are carbonate banks and other raised geomorphic features associated with biodiversity hotspots? 2) Can environmental (depth, substrate hardness, slope) or biogeographic (east vs west) variables help explain local and regional differences in community structure? 3) Do sponge communities differ among individual raised geomorphic features? Approximately 750 sponge specimens were collected in the Oceanic Shoals CMR and assigned to 348 species, of which only 18% included taxonomically described species. Between eastern and western areas of the CMR, there was no difference between sponge species richness or assemblages on raised geomorphic features. Among individual raised geomorphic features, sponge assemblages were significantly different, but species richness was not. Species richness showed no linear relationships with measured environmental factors, but sponge assemblages were weakly associated with several environmental variables including mean depth and mean backscatter (east and west) and mean slope (east only). These patterns of sponge diversity are applied to support the future management and monitoring of this region, particularly noting the importance of spatial scale in biodiversity assessments and associated management strategies. Citation: Przeslawski, R., Alvarez, B., Kool, J., Bridge, T., Caley, M.J., Nichol, S. (2015) Implications of Sponge Biodiversity Patterns for the Management of a Marine Reserve in Northern Australia. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0141813. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141813

Surveys were conducted on the fore-reef slopes (proximal to the major wind and wave inputs) of 2 inner shelf reefs (Pandora Reef and Philips Reef), 4 middle shelf reefs (Rib Reef, John Brewer Reef, Lodestone Reef and Davies Reef), 2 outer shelf reefs (Dip Reef and Bowl Reef) and one Coral Sea reef (Flinders South Reef). Three reefs were surveyed at other locations due to unfavourable weather (Myrmidon Reef [outer shelf], north-east slope, Flinders Cay [Coral Sea], south-west slope), or because no south-east side existed (Flinders West [Coral Sea], a near vertical south-west slope). At Davies Reef, surveys were also conducted in back reef and lagoon habitats. The fore-reef slopes of three reefs across Princess Charlotte Bay in the northern Great Barrier Reef were also surveyed (Rodda Reef, Corbett Reef and Clack Reef).Surveys were conducted along triplicate 20 m transect lines laid along depth contours (1.3, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20 m) with transects separated by at least 10 m. At Davies Reef duplicate surveys were also conducted at 30 m and 40 m on the fore-reef and visual surveys were conducted at these depths on the back reef slope. All obvious sponges (cryptic, boring and very thin encrusting species excluded) were collected, sorted and wet weights recorded.All sponges were given unique species codes. Sponge species abundance was recorded. Sponges were divided into the following categories: phototrophic (Ph) with large populations of cyanobacterial symbionts (Pg/R>1.5 for at least 8 hrs/day); mixed (Mi) with fewer photosynthetic symbionts usually as a thin layer on the outside (Pg/R<1.5); and heterotrophic (He) with no photosynthetic symbionts (Pg = gross photosynthetic oxygen production, R= respiration). This research was undertaken to:- study variation in sponge species diversity, abundance and biomass with depth across the continental shelf in the central Great Barrier Reef to the Coral Sea- analyse sponge community structure by grouping sites on the basis of similarity of species composition and to quantify similarities and differences between sites- investigate sponge distribution in different habitats within a reef (Davies Reef)To study the relationship of sponge distribution to light.

Concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.

Concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures. These polygons identify sponge grounds from the broader distribution of sponges in the region as sampled by Campelen trawl gear in the Newfoundland - Labrador Shelves biogeographic zone. A 200 kg minimum threshold for the sponge catch was identified as the weight that separated the sponge ground habitat from the broader distribution of sponges with these research vessel tow data and gear type.

Spatial variability in community structure of dictyoceratid sponges (Class Demospongiae; Order Dictyoceratida) was examined on coral reefs in Torres Strait, an archipelago of islands and reefs between northern Queensland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. Dictyoceratid sponge abundances and environmental parameters were recorded at 4 locations, separated by 50-220 km. Each location was subdivided into 5-7 sites, each ≥2 km apart. At each site four 50x2 m belt transects were quantitatively surveyed, recording dictyoceratid numbers, substrate type (rock, rubble and sand), water clarity, degree of reef slope and depth. Dictyoceratid abundance was similar among locations, averaging 15.5 individuals per 100 m2, but varied significantly among sites. Twenty three dictyoceratid species were recorded in Torres Strait, with approximately half (12/23) found in only one location. Canonical Correspondence Analysis determined that the measured environmental factors explained only 26% of the spatial variation. Cluster analysis revealed a complex dictyoceratid community structure with consistent patterns among neighbouring sites and among sites separated by hundreds of kilometres. Conversely the dictyoceratid community could vary greatly between neighbouring sites 2 km apart and on the same reef complex. The results of this study suggest that spatial variability of dictyoceratid sponges in Torres Strait is influenced by a combination of environmental, biological and stochastic processes.