Washington, the 50 stations were partitioned into 30 stations randomly selected within 
the Olympic Coast NMS (OCNMS), and 20 stations in the remainder of the shelf waters. 
Similarly, in California, the 50 stations were partitioned into two groups consisting of 30 
stations randomly selected within the combined area of the Cordell Bank, Gulf of 
Farallones, Monterey Bay, and Channel Islands NMSs, and 20 stations selected in non¬ 
sanctuary waters of California north of Pt. Conception. 
Each sampling region is termed a multi-density category. For each multi-density 
category (Appendix Table 1), geographic coordinates for the number of primary target 
stations listed above were determined during the study design process. Additionally, 
each multi-density category had an equal number of alternate sampling locations 
selected in case a primary site should have to be rejected due to safety concerns or the 
presence of rocky bottom. Because of the severe logistic constraint of the number of 
ship days available, when a primary station was abandoned, the nearest alternate 
station within the multi-density category was selected and sampling was attempted. 
After completion of the field survey, additional adjustments to the frame area 
definitions were made. For the present report, the principal adjustment was to exclude 
the area of the continental shelf within the Strait of Juan de Fuca from inclusion in the 
resource definition. This decision was made because all bottom samples attempted at 
multiple stations found rocky instead of soft bottom, indicating that the region may not fit 
the target resource definition of soft sediment shelf habitat. Thus, weighting factors 
used in data analysis reflect the removal of this sample area. 
2.1.2 Bight’03 
Data coverage throughout the SCB portion of the study area (Pt. Conception, CA 
to the Mexican border) was made possible through coordination with a companion 
assessment, the Bight’03 study conducted by SCCWRP. The basic sampling design of 
the Bight’03 study was the same as that used for the EMAP survey. Sampling sites 
were selected in a stratified random fashion in 12 multi-density categories that 
represented distinct regions of interest within the SCB using a Generalized Random 
Tessellation Stratified (GRTS) design (Ranasinghe et al. 2007). There was overlap with 
the target depth zone sampled by EMAP for two Bight’03 multi-density categories. 
Given the identical design approaches, data from Bight’03 for these two categories 
could be merged with EMAP data into a single statistical analysis for the West Coast 
shelf. Geographic coordinates for the Bight’03 stations which were included with the 
EMAP stations in the present analysis are provided in Appendix 1. Inspection of depth 
information was used to confirm that Bight’03 stations actually fell within the target 
depth range of the EMAP study, and some stations included in a multi-density category 
in the Bight’03 study were excluded from inclusion with the EMAP data. A total of 30 
stations within the Channel Islands NMS and 43 stations along the mainland shelf fell 
with the EMAP target depth zone of 30-120 m. The list of water column parameters 
measured varied considerably among these stations and rarely comprised the full list of 
parameters measured by the EMAP study. 
6 
