Cruise Report 2003 Regional Monitoring Program Bivalve Deployment Cruise May 19, 2003 June 16-19, 2003 A P P L I E D S C I E N C E S
CRUISE REPORT: 2003 Regional Monitoring Program Bivalve Deployment Cruise: June 2003 Cruise Report 2003 Regional Monitoring Program Bivalve Deployment Cruise May 19, June 16-19, 2002 Introduction This report describes activities associated with the 2003 bivalve deployment cruise of the Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP). Measurement of contaminant bioaccumulation in transplanted bivalves during dry-season deployment is designed to provide long-term data on concentrations of trace organic compounds in tissue throughout the estuary. Bivalves were attached to moorings at 9 sites in 2003 (deployments at Horseshoe Bay, Petaluma River, and Napa River were discontinued following the 2002 deployments based on a decision of the RMP Technical Review Committee (TRC). Contaminant bioaccumulation in bivalves is measured by collecting bivalves from sites that are known to have low contaminant concentrations and transplanting them to mooring locations in the Estuary. M. californianus were collected from Bodega Head on May 19 th and stored in filtered seawater tanks located at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. In another change incorporated by the TRC for the 2003 program, the 2003 deployments are the first deployments using only M. californianus throughout the estuary. One hundred and twenty M. californianus were deployed at each RMP bivalve transplantation site. Deployments were made to allow for analysis of trace organics and side-by-side analyses of growth and survival at all nine sites. The 2003 deployment plan also was developed in order to continue ongoing investigations into the feasibility of discontinuing the maintenance cruise midway through deployments. At each site, bivalves were deployed in two cage-type structures as follows: Eighty mussels, to be used for analysis of growth and trace organics, were deployed in a cage that will be cleaned midway through the deployment Forty mussels, to be used for analysis of growth only, were deployed in a cage that will not be cleaned midway through the deployment. Table 3 lists all bivalves deployed by station for the 2003 program. Page 7
Objectives The objectives of this cruise were: 1) Collect Mytilus californianus from Bodega Head and deploy at nine sites. 2) Install bivalves in containment cages that will be maintained and analyzed for trace organics, growth, and survival at nine sites. 3) Install bivalves in containment cages at nine sites that will not be maintained and will be analyzed for growth and survival at nine sites. 4) Collect a CTD cast at each deployment station. Personnel The personnel and work assignments for this cruise were as follows: Name Affiliation Duties Contact Mey Akashah AMS Bivalve Collection, Tender, Diver akashah@amarine.com David Bell AMS Dive Tender (6/19) bell@amarine.com Jordan Gold AMS Cruise Manager, Diver gold@amarine.com Paul Salop AMS Bivalve Collection, Diver salop@amarine.com Basia AMS Dive Tender, Diver in Training N/A Hajduczek Joe Newman BML Bivalve Collection N/A David Morgan RTC Vessel Skipper dmorgan@sfsu.edu Cruise Schedule Cruise activities are shown in Table 1. Table 1. Cruise Schedule for RMP 2003 Bivalve Deployment. Date Time Activity May 19 0700-1430 Akashah, Newman, and Salop collected M. californianus from Bodega Head, Sonoma County. M. californianus were bagged and placed in free-flowing seawater tanks at Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML). June 16 1600-2000 Gold picked up all bivalves from BML and transported to Oakland. Page 2
June 17 0830-0948 Mobilized gear and loaded bivalves aboard RV Questuary, San Leandro Marina. Transferred bivalves to containment cages and placed in coolers. Departed for Redwood Creek site (BA40). 1041-1105 Deployed bivalves at Redwood Creek. Departed for Dumbarton Bridge site (BA30). 1122-1215 Installed new mooring and deployed bivalves at Dumbarton Bridge. Departed for Coyote Creek site (BA10). 1235-1247 Deployed bivalves at Coyote Creek. Departed for San Leandro Marina. 1422-1440 Arrived at San Leandro Marina. Demobilized vessel and replenished ice on bivalves. June 18 0800-0828 Mobilized gear aboard RV Questuary, Emeryville Marina. Departed for Alameda site (BB71). 0916-0947 Deployed bivalves at Alameda. Departed for Red Rock site (BC60). 1049-1142 Deployed bivalves at Red Rock. Departed for Yerba Buena Island site (BC10). 1218-1300 Deployed bivalves at Yerba Buena Island. Departed for Emeryville Marina. 1318-1325 Arrived Emeryville Marina. Demobilized vessel. June 19 1030-1105 Mobilized gear aboard RV Questuary, Vallejo Marina. Departed for Pinole Point (BD30). 1155-1220 Deployed bivalves at Pinole Point. Departed for San Pablo Bay (BD20). 1242-1330 Replaced mooring and deployed bivalves at San Pablo Bay. Departed for Davis Point site (BD40). 1445-1455 Deployed bivalves at Davis Point. Departed for Vallejo Marina. 1520-1545 Arrived at Vallejo Marina. Demobilized vessel. Discussion All cruise objectives were met. Bivalve cages that will not be maintained were marked with a cattle tag cable tied to the bridle securing the cage to the buoy line. Page 3
Two moorings were replaced during the cruise, at San Pablo Bay and Dumbarton Bridge. The area around the San Pablo Bay mooring is home to intensive boating and fishing activity, and the mooring or buoy line were likely snagged by a vessel anchor. The channel marker at the Dumbarton Bridge site was replaced prior to the 2003 deployments, resulting in the need for a new mooring at this site. The sediment around the newly-installed piling has yet to reach equilibrium and is currently excavated directly adjacent to the piling and mounded several feet high in a ring approximately 4 to 5 feet from the piling. It is likely that sediment movement will require movement or reinstallation of the existing mooring in the near future after sediment has reached an equilibrium condition. During deployment at the Yerba Buena Island site, the connector between the OBS probe and CTD failed. Therefore, OBS data from the lowest depths at the YBI site and all OBS data from Pinole Point, San Pablo Bay, and Davis Point sites were compromised. All suspect CTD data is indicated as NA in the corresponding CTD data report. Page 4
Site Locations The coordinates for all RMP bivalve stations are listed in Table 2 below: Table 2. 2003 RMP Bivalve Transplantation Stations. Site Name/Code Latitude (N) Longitude (W) Comments Coyote Creek BA10 Dumbarton Bridge BA30 Redwood Creek BA40 Alameda BB71 Yerba Buena Island BC10 Red Rock BC61 Point Pinole BD30 San Pablo Bay BD20 Davis Point BD40 37 28.19 122 03.83 Channel marker 18 37 30.80 122 08.08 Channel marker 14 37 32.82 122 11.70 Channel marker 4 37 41.73 122 20.38 Channel marker 1 1.65 nmi. SE of Hunters Point 37 49.12 122 20.81 Dolphin 0.2 nmi. SW of Bay Bridge, SE piling in southernmost set of dolphins 37 55.70 122 28.13 Channel marker 2 for Larkspur ferry terminal 38 01.00 122 22.05 Channel marker P 38 02.72 122 25.71 Channel marker 1 38 03.26 122 15.63 E side of Phillips Petroleum loading dock Table 3. Bivalve Deployments for the 2003 Bioaccumulation Program. All deployed bivalves are Mytilus californianus. Notes: Maintained 1 Unmaintained 2 Coyote Creek 80 40 Redwood Creek 80 40 Dumbarton Br. 80 40 Alameda 80 40 Yerba Buena Island 80 40 Red Rock 80 40 San Pablo Bay 80 40 Pinole Point 80 40 Davis Point 80 40 Total Bivalves 720 360 1 Each full-cage deployment consists of 4 compartments of 20 each Page 5
2 Each half-cage deployment consists of 2 compartments of 20 each Page 6