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Fish, invertebrate and benthic surveys along the West coast of Hawaii from 1999-03-09 to 2024-07-30 (NCEI Accession 0164965)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 03, 2026 at 03:00 AM | Dataset Last Updated: April 15, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Fish & Invertebrate surveys: At each permanent monitoring site (26 total), fishes and urchins are recorded on 4 fixed 25m transects. Each transect is surveyed by a team of two divers who collectively record fishes within, entering or passing across the belt transect dimensions of 25m*4m. Fishes are counted by means of two passes – mid-water and roving species are recorded on the outward swim; urchins and all other fish species are recorded in the return swim, during which divers swim more slowly carefully looking for smaller site-attached and semi cryptic organisms that make up the bulk of abundance at most sites. Divers swim in parallel, each recording fishes and urchins within one half of the transect; an area of 25m*2m. Collectively the transect area is 100 m2. Divers take care not to count fishes moving across the transect line from the other diver’s portion of the transect. Benthic surveys: Benthic cover is assessed at all monitoring sites, typically during the spring every three years (or annually following an anticipated substantial change in benthic cover). Benthic images (0.30 m2) are taken at each meter along four 25 m transects at each site. Benthic taxa located below 20 stratified random points in each image are identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe) software during the years 2003-2017, and using CoralNet in 2020. Relative change in benthic cover by category is calculated for each transect, then averaged by site. Coral bleaching/ health surveys: In response to extensive coral bleaching in West Hawaii during the spring/summer of 2015, coral bleaching/ health surveys were conducted at 8 permanent monitoring sites from 9 October to 13 November 2015 using methods described in Couch et al. 2014. Three 10 m2 belt transects were surveyed per site, and all coral colonies (≥ 5cm diameter) within each belt were scored for bleaching/health condition and severity. During surveys, a progression of algal turf presence on bleached coral colonies was also scored (TF). The severity of each condition and algal turf presence was scored based on the percent of the colony affected. Additional coral bleaching/ health surveys will be conducted as needed.

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0164965 ANIMALS - INDIVIDUAL - COUNTS biological data CORAL CORAL - BLEACHING CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION Fish FISH - CORAL REEF

Complete Metadata
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accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
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describedByType application/octet-steam
description Fish & Invertebrate surveys: At each permanent monitoring site (26 total), fishes and urchins are recorded on 4 fixed 25m transects. Each transect is surveyed by a team of two divers who collectively record fishes within, entering or passing across the belt transect dimensions of 25m*4m. Fishes are counted by means of two passes – mid-water and roving species are recorded on the outward swim; urchins and all other fish species are recorded in the return swim, during which divers swim more slowly carefully looking for smaller site-attached and semi cryptic organisms that make up the bulk of abundance at most sites. Divers swim in parallel, each recording fishes and urchins within one half of the transect; an area of 25m*2m. Collectively the transect area is 100 m2. Divers take care not to count fishes moving across the transect line from the other diver’s portion of the transect. Benthic surveys: Benthic cover is assessed at all monitoring sites, typically during the spring every three years (or annually following an anticipated substantial change in benthic cover). Benthic images (0.30 m2) are taken at each meter along four 25 m transects at each site. Benthic taxa located below 20 stratified random points in each image are identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe) software during the years 2003-2017, and using CoralNet in 2020. Relative change in benthic cover by category is calculated for each transect, then averaged by site. Coral bleaching/ health surveys: In response to extensive coral bleaching in West Hawaii during the spring/summer of 2015, coral bleaching/ health surveys were conducted at 8 permanent monitoring sites from 9 October to 13 November 2015 using methods described in Couch et al. 2014. Three 10 m2 belt transects were surveyed per site, and all coral colonies (≥ 5cm diameter) within each belt were scored for bleaching/health condition and severity. During surveys, a progression of algal turf presence on bleached coral colonies was also scored (TF). The severity of each condition and algal turf presence was scored based on the percent of the colony affected. Additional coral bleaching/ health surveys will be conducted as needed.
distribution 
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions/iso/xml/0164965.xml
issued 2017-08-15T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
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  "biological data",
  "CORAL",
  "CORAL - BLEACHING",
  "CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION",
  "Fish",
  "FISH - CORAL REEF",
  "FISH CENSUS",
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  "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - ORGANISM LENGTH",
  "SUBSTRATUM PERCENT COVER",
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  "Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources",
  "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration",
  "Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources",
  "Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)",
  "CORAL REEF STUDIES",
  "Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary",
  "North Pacific Ocean",
  "oceanography",
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  "NA13NOS4820014",
  "NA15NOS4820037",
  "NA17NOS4820039",
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  "NOAA CRCP: State and Territorial Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreement",
  "Numeric Data Sets > Biology",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biological Classification > Animals/Invertebrates > ECHINODERMS > SEA URCHINS",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases > Bleaching",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Reef Fish Census",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH",
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  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > CORAL REEFS > CORAL BLEACHING",
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  "CAMERA > CAMERA",
  "VISUAL OBSERVATIONS > VISUAL OBSERVATIONS",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii Island > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003)",
  "OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN > HAWAIIAN ISLANDS",
  "OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN",
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landingPage https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2025-04-15T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
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references 
[
  "https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/reports/",
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rights otherRestrictions
spatial -155.849,19.0767,-156.056,20.16
temporal 1999-03-09T00:00:00+00:00/2024-07-30T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title Fish, invertebrate and benthic surveys along the West coast of Hawaii from 1999-03-09 to 2024-07-30 (NCEI Accession 0164965)

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