Mussel bed sampling: standard operating procedure, v. 1.2, Southwest Alaska Network
Bodkin JL, Dean TA, Coletti HA, Ballachey BE. 2016. Mussel bed sampling: standard operating procedure, v. 1.2, Southwest Alaska Network. Natural Resource Report. NPS/SWAN/NRR—2016/1175. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Pacific blue mussels are a common and important species in shallow marine habitats throughout much of the north Pacific. They can occupy a large proportion of the intertidal zone and occur across a variety of habitats. They are filter feeding bivalve that relies on both phytoplankton and detrital kelps. They transfer their secondary production to a wide array of higher trophic level consumers that include predatory invertebrates, birds and mammals. Here we describe a procedure for annual monitoring of mussels at sites within Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William Sound. Sampling occurs along fixed horizontal transects that allow estimation of: 1) the size of the mussel bed, 2) the density of mussels larger than 19mm, and 3) the density of all mussels within the mussel bed. Sample design provides for the statistical expansion of mussel estimates across each region.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Bodkin, James; Dean, Thomas; Coletti, Heather; Ballachey, Brenda
- Date of Issue
- 2016-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- KATM , KEFJ , NRSS , SWAN
- Keywords
- Gulf of Alaska, long term monitoring, marine ecosystems, Mytilus trossulus, near shore, Pacific blue mussel
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Marine Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Intertidal Communities