California Sea Grant College Program

The main hypotheses of this proposal are that 1) a novel benthic marine habitat exists, rhodoliths, exists that has been unrecognized in prior surveys and 2) that human induced disturbance is degrading this common coastal California benthic habitat - rhodolith beds. These beds are diverse and threatened marine habitats that are common in Southern California should be included in coastal protection, monitoring and management decisions. By determining the distribution, measuring habitat metrics and determining the common sources of disturbance in beds around Catalina Island, the information can be used to inform the Southern California MPA process.