Marine Invertebrate Survey and Assessment Project

Overview

The Marine Invertebrate Survey and Assessment Project focuses on addressing processes that impact marine populations and communities, and then applies these findings to fishery management and marine conservation issues. Staff work primarily with benthic (sea floor) marine invertebrates inhabiting nearshore rocky reef ecosystems, or sand, mud, or soft sediment environments. Staff use field, experimental and modeling approaches to understand population and community-level dynamics. Current research investigates:

• Status and health of the red abalone resource in northern California
• Modeling approaches to describe growth, survival and reproduction in red abalone
• Indirect effects of fishing ecosystem engineers
• Harmful algal bloom interactions with abalone and sea urchin
• The role of marine reserves as control areas for fishing impacts
• Sensitivity analyses of matrix population models for fished and endangered species
• Oceanographic conditions that influence larval abundance of the Dungeness crab
• Fishing pressure effects on clam communities
• Video: Abalone Survey Dive Methodology (YouTube)

Publications

• Okamoto, D.K., Spindel , N.B., Collicutt, B. Mustermann, M.J., Karelitz, S., R., Gimenez, I., Kline, D.I.,  Cronmiller, E., M. Foss, N. Mahara, D. Swezey, R. Ferraro, D., Rogers-Bennett, L. and S. Schroeter. 2023. Thermal suppression of gametogenesis explains collapses in larval recruitment. bioRxiv, pp.2023-09
• Boles, S.E., Rogers-Bennett, L. Bragg, W. Frederick, A., Curran, J., Graham, S., Aquilino, K.M., and J. A. Gross. 2023 Determination of gonad reproductive state using non-lethal ultrasonography in endangered Black ( Haliotis cracherodii ) and White Abalone (H. sorenseni ). Frontiers in Marine Science DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1134844.
• Peters, H., Rogers-Bennett, L. and G. Ralph 2023.  Global Abalone Assessment Reveals Multiplicity of Threats Led by Over-fishing But Captive Breeding Offers Hope. Tentacle 31:57-59.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., and C.A. Catton 2022. Cascading impacts of a Climate-Driven ecosystem transition intensifies population vulnerabilities and fishery collapse. Frontiers in Climate, Ecology and People, Special Issue: Advances in Marine Heatwave Interactions.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Yang, G., and Mann J.A.2022. Using the Resist-Accept-Direct management framework to respond to climate driven transitions in marine ecosystems. Fisheries Management and Ecology 29: 409-422.
• Garcia-Reyes, M., Thompson, S.A., Rogers-Bennett, L. , W.J. Sydeman 2022. Winter oceanographic conditions predict summer bull kelp canopy cover in northern California. PLoS ONE.
• Boles, S.E., Neylan, I.P. Rogers-Bennett, L. and J.S. Gross 2022. Evaluation of gonad reproductive condition using non-invasive ultrasonography in red abalone (Haliotis rufescens).  Frontiers in Marine Science.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Klamt, R., C.A. Catton 2021. Survivors of climate driven abalone mass mortality exhibit declines in health and reproduction following kelp forest collapse Frontiers in Marine Science. 8.
• Hamilton S. L., Saccomanno V. R., Heady W. N., Gehman A. L., Lonhart S. I. , Beas-Luna R., Francis F. T., Lee L., Rogers-Bennett L., Salomon A. K., Gravem S. A., 2021. Disease-driven mass mortality event leads to widespread extirpation and variable recovery potential of a marine predator across the eastern Pacific
• . Proc. R. Soc. B. 2882021119520211195.
• Low, N.H.N, Micheli, F., Aguilar, J.D., Acre, J.R., Boch, C.A., Bonilla, J.C., Bracamontes, M.A., De Leo, G., Diaz, E., Enriquez, E., Hernandez, A., Martinez, R., Mendoza, R., Miranda, C., Monismith, S., Ramade, M., Rogers-Bennett, L., Romero, A., Salinas, C., Smith, A.E., Torre, J., Villavicencio, G., C.B. Woodson. 2021. Variable coastal hypoxia exposure and drivers across the southern California Current. Scientific Reports. 11: 10929.
• McPherson, M.L., Finger, D.J.I., Housekeeper, H.F., Bell, T.W., Carr, M.H., Rogers-Bennett, L. and R.M. Kudela 2021. Large-scale shift in the structure of a kelp forest ecosystem co-occurs with an epizootic and marine heatwave. Comm. Bio.
• Estrada, A.C., Rogers-Bennett, L. and M.A. Steele. 2021. Recruitment of post-larval abalone (Haliotis spp.) at Santa Catalina Island examining natural recovery. J. Shell. Res. 40:1-8. 
• Swezey, D.S. Boles, S.E., Aquilino, K.M., Stott, H.K., Bush, D., Whitehead, A., Rogers-Bennett, L., Hill, T.M., and E. Sanford 2020. Evolved differences in energy metabolism and growth dictate the impacts of ocean acidification on abalone aquaculture. PNAS 117: 26513-26519
• Hart, L., Goodman, M.C., Walter, R.K., Rogers-Bennett, L., Shum, P., Garrett, A.P., Watanabe, J.M., and J.K. O’Leary 2020. Abalone recruitment in low density and aggregated populations facing climate stress. J. Shell. Res. 39:359-373. 
• Bauer, J., Beas-Luna, R., Lorda, J., Malpica-Cruz, L., Lafarga-De la Cruz, F., Micheli, F., Searcy-Bernal, R., Rogers-Bennett, L., and M. Bracamontes-Peralta. 2020. Testing ocean warming solutions for red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, mariculture in San Jeronimo Island, Baja California, Mexico: Effects of depth and diet. Ciencias Marinas 46: 343-357.
• Arafeh-Dalmau, N., Schoeman, D.S., Montaño-Moctezuma, G., Micheli, F., Rogers-Bennett, L., Olguin-Jacobson, C. and H.P. Possingham. 2020. Marine heatwaves threaten kelp forests. Science Letters 367: 635.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and C.A. Catton. 2019. Marine heat wave and multiple stressors tip bull kelp forest to sea urchin barrens. Scientific Reports 9: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51114-y
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Kashiwada, J.V., Taniguchi, I.K., Kawana, S.K. and C.A. Catton. 2019. Using density based fishery management strategies to respond to mass mortality events. J. Shell. Res. 38:485-496.
• Kawana, S., Taniguchi, I.K., Stein, D., Catton, C.A. Hofmeister, J.K.K., Sowul, K. and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2019. Warm water shifts abalone recruitment and sea urchin diversity in southern California: Implications for climate ready restoration. J. Shell. Res. 38:475-484.
• Hofmeister, J.K.K., Kawana, S.K., Walker, B.J., Catton, C.A., Taniguchi, I., Stein, D.M., Sowul, K., and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2018 Temporal and spatial patterns in behavioral responses of marine predators to a sudden influx of abalone prey (Haliotis rufescens).
• Ebert, T.A. et al. 2018. Size, growth, and density data for shallow-water sea urchins of the North American Pacific coast from Mexico to Alaska including the Aleutian Island chain, 1956 – 2016. Ecology 99:761. doi:10.1002/ecy.2123
• O'Leary, J.K., Barry, J.P., Gabrielson, P.W., Rogers-Bennett, L. , Potts, D.C., Palumbi, S.R., and F. Micheli. 2017. Calcifying algae maintain settlement cues to larval abalone following algal exposure to extreme ocean acidification. Scientific Reports. 7: article 5774
• Li, Y. and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2017. Evaluating factors affecting restoration of an endangered broadcast-spawning invertebrate using and individual-based model of white abalone. Endangered Species Research 32:293-308.
• Catton, C.A., Stierhoff, K. and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2016. Population status assessment and restoration modeling of white abalone Haliotis sorenseni in California (PDF). J. Shell.Res. 35:593-599.
• Reid, J., Rogers-Bennett, L., Pace, M., Eyler, R., Vasquez, F., Bruner, A, Catton, C.A., Kashiwada, J.V. and I.K. Taniguchi. 2016. The economic value of the recreational red abalone fishery in northern California (PDF). California Fish and Game. 102: 119-133.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Aquilino, K.M., Catton, C.A., Kawana, S.K., Walker, B.J., Ashlock, L.W., Marshman, B.C., Moore, J.D., Taniguchi, I.K., Gilardi, K.V., G.N. Cherr. 2016. Implementing a restoration program for the endangered white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) in California (PDF). J. Shell. Res. 35:611-618.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Dondanville, R.F., Catton, C.A., Juhasz, C.I., Horii, T. and M. Hamaguchi. 2016. Tracking larval, newly settled and juvenile red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) recruitment in northern California (PDF). J. Shell. Res. 35:601-609.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and D.W. Rogers. 2016. A two-step growth curve: An approach to the von Bertalanffy and the Gompertz equations (PDF). Advances in Pure Mathematics. 6:321-330.
• Jurgens, L.J., Rogers-Bennett, L., Raimondi, P.T., Schiebelhut, L.M., Dawson, M.N., Grosberg, R.K., B. Gaylord. 2015. Patterns of mass mortality among rocky shore invertebrates across 100 km of northeastern Pacific coastline. PLoS One DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0126280.
• Braje, T.J., Rick, T.C., Erlandson, J.M. Rogers-Bennett, L., C. Catton. 2015. Historical ecology can inform restoration site selection: The case of black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) along California's Channel Islands. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and C.I. Juhasz. 2014. The rise of invertebrate fisheries and the fishing down of marine food webs in California (PDF). California Fish and Game. 100:218-233.
• De Wit, P, Rogers-Bennett, L. Kudela, R, and S. Palumbi. 2014. Forensic genomics as a novel tool for identifying the causes of mass mortality events. Nature Communications 5: Article 3652.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Hubbard, K. E. and C.I. Juhasz. 2013. Dramatic declines in red abalone populations after opening a "de facto" marine reserve to fishing: Testing temporal reserves (PDF). Biol. Cons. 157:423-431.
• Koslow, J.A., Rogers-Bennett, L., D.J. Neilson. 2012. A time series of California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) phyllosoma from 1951 to 2008 links abundance to warm oceanographic conditions in Southern California (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 53:132-139.
• Button, C. A. and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2011. Vital rates of pink abalone (Haliotis corrugata) estimated from mark-recapture data to inform recovery (PDF). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 431:151-161.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Dondanville, R.F., Moore, J.D. and L.I. Vilchis. 2010. Response of red abalone reproduction to warm water, starvation and disease stressors: Implications of ocean warming (PDF). J. Shellfish Res. 29:599-611.
• White, J.W. and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2010. Incorporating physical oceanographic proxies of recruitment into population models to improve fishery and Marine Protected Area management (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 51:128-149.
• McClatchie, S., Goericke, R., Schwing, F.B., Bograd, S.J., Peterson, W.J., Emmett, R., Charter, R., Watson, W., Lo, N., Hill, K., Collins, C., Kahru, M., Mitchell, B.G., Koslow, J.A., Gomez_Valdes, J., Lavaniegos, B.E., Gaxiola-Castro, G., Gottschalk, J., L’Heureux, M., Xue, Y., Manzano-Sarabia, M., Bjorkstedt, E., Ralston, S., Field, J., Rogers-Bennett, L., Munger, L., Campbell., G., Merkins, K., Camacho, D., Havron, A., Douglas, A., and J. Hildebrand. 2009. The State of the California Current, Spring 2008-2009: Cold conditions drive regional differences (PDF). CalCOFI 50: 43-68.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and D.W. Rogers. 2008. Modeling dispersal of cloning echinoderm larvae with a Gaussian distribution: Forever young? (PDF) CalCOFI Reports 49:232-240.
• Leaf, R.T., Rogers-Bennett, L., Y. Jiao. 2008. Exploring the use of a size-based egg-per-recruit model for the red abalone fishery in California (PDF). North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 28:1638-1647.
• Bracken, M.E.S., B.E. Bracken and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2007. Species diversity and foundation species: Potential indicators of fisheries yields and marine ecosystem functioning (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 48:82-89.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. 2007. Is climate change contributing to range reductions and localized extinctions in northern, (Haliotis kamtschatkana), and flat, (Haliotis walallensis), abalones? (PDF) Bull. Mar. Sci. 81:283-296.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Rogers, D.W. and S. Schultz. 2007. Modeling growth and mortality of red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) in northern California (PDF). J. Shellfish Res. 26:719-727.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. 2007. The ecology of Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (PDF). Book Chapter In: Lawrence, J. (ed) Edible Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology. Elsevier Amsterdam Chapter 19:393-425.
• Leaf, R.T., Rogers-Bennett, L. and P.L. Haaker. 2007. Spatial, temporal, and size-specific variation in mortality estimates of red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, from mark-recapture data in California (PDF). Fisheries Research: 83:341-350.
• Marko, P.B., Rogers-Bennett, L. and A.B. Dennis. 2007. MtDNA population structure and gene flow in lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus): limited connectivity despite long-lived pelagic larvae (PDF). Marine Biology 150:1301-1311.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and A.S. Melvin. 2007. Size differences in wild and farmed red abalone: Developing enforcement tools to combat illegal commercialization (PDF). California Fish and Game 93:77-85.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and D.W. Rogers. 2006. A semi-empirical growth estimation method for matrix models of endangered species (PDF). Ecological Modelling 195:237-246.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and R.T. Leaf. 2006. Elasticity analyses of size-based red and white abalone matrix models: Management and conservation (PDF). Ecological Applications 16:213-224.
• Harley, C.D.G. and L. Rogers-Bennett. 2004. The potential synergistic effects of climate change and fishing pressure on exploited invertebrates on rocky intertidal shores (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 45:98-110.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Allen, B.L. and G.E. Davis. 2004. Measuring abalone (Haliotis spp.) recruitment in California to examine recruitment overfishing and recovery criteria (PDF). J. Shellfish Res. 23:1201-1207.
• Bennett, W.A., K. Roinestad, L. Rogers-Bennett, L. Kaufman and B. Heneman. 2004. Inverse regional responses to climate change and fishing intensity by the recreational rockfish fishery in California (PDF). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 61:2499-2510.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Dondanville, R.F. and J.V. Kashiwada. 2004. Size specific fecundity of red abalone (Haliotis rufescens): Evidence for reproductive senescence? (PDF) J. Shellfish Res. 23:553-560.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Rogers, D.W. Bennett, W.A. and T.A. Ebert. 2003. Modeling red sea urchin growth using six growth models (PDF). Fishery Bulletin 101:614-626.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Haaker, P.A., Huff, T.O., P.K. Dayton. 2002. Estimating baseline abundances of abalone in California for restoration (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 43:97-111.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., P.L. Haaker, K.A. Karpov and D. J. Kushner. 2002. Using spatially explicit data to evaluate Marine Protected Areas for abalone in southern California (PDF). Conservation Biology 16:1308-1317.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. (Ed.) 2002. Review of some California fisheries for 2001: Market squid, sea urchin, Dungeness crab, lobster, prawn, abalone, groundfishes, swordfish and sharks, Coastal Pelagic finfishes, ocean salmon, nearshore live-fishes, Pacific herring, white seabass, and kelp (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 43:13-30.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. (Ed.). 2001. Review of some California fisheries for 2000: Market squid, sea urchin, prawn, white abalone, groundfishes, ocean salmon, Pacific sardine, Pacific herring, Pacific mackerel, nearshore live-fishes, halibut, yellowfin tuna, white seabass, and kelp (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 42:12-28.
• Karpov, K., Tegner, M.J., Rogers-Bennett, L., Kalvass, P., I. Taniguchi. 2001. Interactions among red abalones and sea urchins in fished and reserve sites in northern California: implications of competition to management (PDF). J. Shellfish Res. 20:743-753.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. 2001. Evaluating stocking as an enhancement strategy for red sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus: depth-specific patterns in recoveries (PDF). Echinoderms: 2000 Tenth International Echinoderm Conf. (Ed.). M. Barker. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Neth. 527-531.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and J.S. Pearse. 2001. Indirect benefits of marine protected areas for juvenile abalone (PDF). Conservation Biology 15:642-647.
• Leet, W.S., C.M. Dewees, R. Klingbeil, and E.J. Larson (eds.). 2000. California living marine resources: a status report. Co-author on Chapters: Abalones, Red Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Wavy Turban Snails. CA Dept. of Fish and Game. UC Agriculture and Nat Res. Publ. SG01-11.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. (Ed.). 2000. Review of some California fisheries for 1999: Market squid, dungeness crab, sea urchin, prawn, abalone, groundfish, swordfish and shark, ocean salmon, nearshore finfish, pacific sardine, Pacific herring, Pacific mackerel, reduction, white seabass, and recreational (PDF). CalCOFI Reports 41:8-25.
• Karpov, K., Haaker, P., Taniguchi, I., L. Rogers-Bennett. 2000. Serial depletion and the collapse of the California abalone (Haliotis spp.) fishery (PDF). Canadian Special Publication Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 130:11-24.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. and J.S. Pearse. 1998. Experimental seeding of hatchery-reared juvenile red abalone Haliotis rufescens in northern California (PDF). J. Shellfish Res. 17:877-880.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Fastenau, H.C. and C.M. Dewees. 1998. Recovery of red sea urchins beds following experimental harvest (PDF). Echinoderms: San Francisco. Proceeds. 9th Intern. Echinoderm Conf. (Eds). R. Mooi and M. Telford. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Neth. 805-809.
• Rogers-Bennett, L. 1997. Marine Protected Areas and the Red Urchin Fishery. California and the World Ocean '97, Proceeds of the Conf. Amer. Soc. Civil Engineers, California Sea Grant Publ. 412-423.
• Rogers-Bennett, L., Bennett, W.A., Fastenau, H.C., and C.M. Dewees. 1995. Spatial variation in red sea urchin reproduction and morphology: implications for harvest refugia (PDF). Ecological Applications 5:1171-1180.

Contact

Laura Rogers-Bennett
PO Box 247, Bodega Bay, CA 94923
Email CDFW's Marine Region
(707) 875-2035