The Core component will comprise projects at Loihi Seamount that were approved for inclusion in the National Undersea Research Program by HURL's Science Review Panel in November 1996.
The HURL Innovation project, for Fisheries and Related Benthic Habitats Research in the Hawaiian EEZ, is currently under advertisment. See: HURL's 1998 Research Opportunities.
The rapid decline of the nation's fisheries industry coupled to the deterioration of the nation's coastline has led NOAA to direct a major portion of its research in addressing these problems. The problems related to the physical state of the ocean floor are, in most cases, linked to the decline of fish and benthic populations.. The continued practice of trawling the continental shelves, seamounts and banks for bottom fish has completely destroyed fragile benthic organisms such as gorgonians and other stalked or branched species in the trawled areas, thus destroying areas of refuge for the larval stages of organisms. The direct relationship between the life processes of the nekton and the benthos is unknown in such areas. Little can be said about how the destruction of the benthic habitat will affect attempts at repopulating the fish in these areas. A key solution to these questions is to gain an understanding of the interactions between the life processes of the benthos and the nekton. An understanding is needed not only of how the living species are interlinked, but also of how the geology of the ocean floor surface affects the distribution or concentration of benthic fish and the clustering or absence of sessile benthic organisms. These scientific questions can be answered in part by direct observations of this benthic habitat with submersibles, ROVs, benthic robotic observatories, and other means, whereby spatial and temporal direct observations of the benthic habitat can be made. NURP, because of its undersea research mandate, is ideally suited to address these problems, and to bring to light solutions to these problems being faced by coastal zone managers, by the National Marine Fisheries Service and by other governmental organizations.
The role of HURL is ideally suited to addressing these problems. Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with numerous islands stretching from the tropical to the sub-tropical climatic zone and with hundreds of seamounts located in the U.S. EEZ, HURL can address a wide range of questions related to the benthic habitat in this climatic range. HURL-supported scientists have been addressing benthic population and benthic habitat problems in Hawaii for the past ten years. An atlas on the Hawaiian benthos authored by E.H. Chave and A. Malahoff entitled, In Deeper Waters: Photographic Studies of Hawaiian Deep-Sea Benthos is scheduled for release in April 1998. HURL pioneered in-situ research of deep corals and fossil coral beds in the equatorial Pacific and has developed specialized tools and techniques for observing and collecting deep water species.
In order to respond rapidly to the national NOAA needs in Fisheries and Coastal Zone research, HURL held a NOAA-sponsored workshop in June of 1997 which produced the Report of the Hawaii and American Flag Pacific Islands Coastal Zone and Fisheries Managers Workshop (published October 1997). Several central research themes emerged from this workshop, including:
Principal research needs in these areas relate to benthic habitats and benthic fish or benthic refugia for pelagic fish. The need for detailed studies of the benthic habitats associated with fisheries problems became apparent as a central theme in the discussions that took place during the Conference on Marine Benthic Habitats and their Living Resources in New Caledonia (November 1997).
In order to respond rapidly to the fisheries and benthic habitat research needs of NOAA, HURL is dedicating a large part of its field program this year to Benthic Habitats and Fisheries Research. A quick turnaround request for proposals and review process focused on this theme is currently being developed. The awarded field projects are planned to be executed during the months of August and September 1998. A tight schedule of 30 submersible and 30-50 ROV dives are planned for this period. This is the HURL Innovation Project for this proposal year. See: HURL's 1998 Research Opportunities.
The Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory looks forward to receiving research proposals from interested qualified scientists for participation in our research programs.
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