Baseline Data and Power Analysis for the OWET Dungeness Crab and Fish Baseline Study

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to collect baseline data for a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study of effects a wave energy conversion project planned for the coastal waters off of Reedsport, Oregon on the local benthic ecology. A BACI study controls for inevitable spatial and temporal environmental variation and provides an objective scientific means of addressing the question "Does this project result in significant environmental change?" In this study, the focus was on Dungeness crab (Cancer magister)and other substrate-associated marine organisms. The baseline data are contained in the electronic files that accompany this document.

In addition to collecting the data, digitizing the data and checking for quality and input errors, and providing basic summary statistics, we evaluated the statistical power of the sampling power to detect a real change in the abundance of crabs and other benthic organisms as manifest by the catch-per-unit-effort. We used these power analyses to evaluate the current sampling program, and to determine the sampling effort necessary to detect a range of project impacts from a 10-1005 reduction in the starting abundance The results should be considered when planning and funding on-going efforts to monitor the benthic ecology at the wave energy conversion project site.