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National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessment of coral reef fish communities in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 03, 2026 at 08:15 AM | Dataset Last Updated: April 15, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Data provided in this dataset were collected around the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) as part of NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)-led missions in collaboration with partners at the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center, the National Park Service, USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources, University of the Virgin Islands, University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, The Nature Conservancy, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2013 and 2015 the Belt Transect method was used to conduct fish surveys in the US Virgin Islands (USVI) as part of the ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The Belt Transect method collects and reports information on fish species composition, density, size, abundance and derived metrics (e.g., species richness, diversity). Surveys were concurrent with and along the same transect as the Line Point-Intercept (LPI) benthic survey. Starting in 2017 fish data were collected using the stationary point count method. This method collects and reports information on fish species composition, density, size structure, abundance and derived metrics (e.g., species richness, diversity).

Resources

13 resources available

  • CRCP Reef Fish Surveys USVI

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  • NCEI Dataset Landing Page

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  • Granule Search

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  • Belt Transect Fish Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks 2013

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  • Coral Demographics Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks 2013

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  • Line Point-Intercept Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks

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  • Belt Transect Fish Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks 2015

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  • Coral Demographics Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks 2015

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  • Line Point-Intercept Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks 2015

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  • Topographic Complexity Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks 2015

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  • Sampling Design Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks

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  • GCMD Keyword Forum Page

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  • NCEI Contact Information

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0176080 0216069 0224406 0270582 0294866 0313688 biological data FISH - CORAL REEF

Complete Metadata
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description Data provided in this dataset were collected around the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) as part of NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)-led missions in collaboration with partners at the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center, the National Park Service, USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources, University of the Virgin Islands, University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, The Nature Conservancy, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2013 and 2015 the Belt Transect method was used to conduct fish surveys in the US Virgin Islands (USVI) as part of the ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The Belt Transect method collects and reports information on fish species composition, density, size, abundance and derived metrics (e.g., species richness, diversity). Surveys were concurrent with and along the same transect as the Line Point-Intercept (LPI) benthic survey. Starting in 2017 fish data were collected using the stationary point count method. This method collects and reports information on fish species composition, density, size structure, abundance and derived metrics (e.g., species richness, diversity).
distribution 
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    "title": "Topographic Complexity Survey Protocol: U.S. Caribbean/Flower Garden Banks 2015",
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    "description": "Topographic complexity survey protocol 2015",
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions/iso/xml/NCRMP-Fish-USVI.xml
issued 2018-09-12T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
[
  "0176080",
  "0216069",
  "0224406",
  "0270582",
  "0294866",
  "0313688",
  "biological data",
  "FISH - CORAL REEF",
  "FISH BIOMASS",
  "FISH CENSUS",
  "FISH SPECIES",
  "HABITAT - BENTHIC",
  "REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER",
  "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION",
  "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - COUNT",
  "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - ORGANISM LENGTH",
  "swimmer/diver",
  "visual observation",
  "biological",
  "in situ",
  "survey",
  "survey - biological",
  "survey - coral reef",
  "survey - swimmer/diver",
  "visual estimate",
  "visual observation",
  "NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science",
  "NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center",
  "NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science",
  "Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)",
  "CORAL REEF STUDIES",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP)",
  "Caribbean Sea",
  "North Atlantic Ocean",
  "oceanography",
  "Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative (CWORI)",
  "National Park Service (NPS)",
  "USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources",
  "University of Miami (UM)",
  "University of the Virgin Islands (UVI)",
  "The Nature Conservancy",
  "US DOC; NOAA; NFMS; Southeast Fisheries Science Center (NMFS/SEFSC)",
  "US DOI; National Park Service (NPS)",
  "US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)",
  "USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources",
  "University of Miami",
  "University of the Virgin Islands",
  "DOC/NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC > Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS > National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "743",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP) Implementation",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP)",
  "CRCP Project #743 National Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP) Implementation",
  "CRCP Project #743 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
  "NCCOS Project #180 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Implementation: Biological and Socioeconomic Monitoring",
  "NOAA's SEFSC Reef Visual Census Fish Analysis Ready datasets and custom R-package",
  "Numeric Data Sets > Fish Census",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat > Description",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Species Richness",
  "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 > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Reef Fish Census > Belt Transect",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Reef Fish Census > Stationary",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish > Fish Census",
  "Monitoring",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > COASTAL LANDFORMS > CORAL REEFS",
  "NCCOS Research Data Types > Field Observation",
  "NCCOS Research Data Types > Long-term Monitoring",
  "NCCOS Research Priorities > Marine Spatial Ecology",
  "NCCOS Research Topics > Ecological and Biologeographic Assessments",
  "Marine Spatial Ecology > Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments",
  "Field Observation",
  "Long-term Monitoring",
  "VISUAL OBSERVATIONS > VISUAL OBSERVATIONS",
  "multiple small vessels",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > St. Croix > St. Croix (17N064W0003)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > St. John > St. John (18N064W0011)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > St. Thomas > St. Thomas (18N064W0033)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > U. S. Virgin Islands > U. S. Virgin Islands (17N064W0000)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Leeward Islands > St. Thomas (18N064W0033)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Lesser Antilles > U. S. Virgin Islands (17N064W0000)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Virgin Islands > St. Croix (17N064W0003)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Virgin Islands > St. John (18N064W0011)",
  "OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN",
  "OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA",
  "OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA > VIRGIN ISLANDS",
  "NCCOS Research Locations > Regions > Caribbean Sea",
  "NCCOS Research Locations > U.S. States and Territories > U.S. Virgin Islands",
  "U.S. States and Territories > Puerto Rico",
  "U.S. States and Territories > U.S. Virgin Islands",
  "Waterbodies > Caribbean Sea",
  "Caribbean Sea",
  "Puerto Rico",
  "Biennial",
  "VERTICAL LOCATION > SEA FLOOR",
  "3X7LTF",
  "8521TU",
  "9UMPC2",
  "MEARKK",
  "U345N9",
  "XC9X42"
]
landingPage https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
{
  "name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
references 
[
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151730/data/0-data/NCRMP_STT-STJ_2013-2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Field_Protocols_2013/NCRMP_BeltTransectFish_Protocol_Caribbean_FINAL_June_2013.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151730/data/0-data/NCRMP_STT-STJ_2013-2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Field_Protocols_2013/NCRMP_CoralDemographic_Protocol_Caribbean_FINAL_June_2013.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151730/data/0-data/NCRMP_STT-STJ_2013-2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Field_Protocols_2013/NCRMP_LinePointIntercept_Protocol_Caribbean_FINAL_June_2013.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151730/data/0-data/NCRMP_STT-STJ_2013-2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Field_Protocols_2015/NCRMP_BeltTransectFish_Protocol_Caribbean_FINAL_June_2015.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151730/data/0-data/NCRMP_STT-STJ_2013-2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Field_Protocols_2015/NCRMP_CoralDemographic_Protocol_Caribbean_FINAL_June_2015.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151730/data/0-data/NCRMP_STT-STJ_2013-2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Field_Protocols_2015/NCRMP_LinePointIntercept_Protocol_Caribbean_FINAL_June_2015.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151730/data/0-data/NCRMP_STT-STJ_2013-2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Field_Protocols_2015/NCRMP_TopographicComplexity_Protocol_Caribbean_FINAL_June_2015.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0151727/data/0-data/NCRMP_STX_2015_Fish/Data_Documentation/Protocols/NCRMP_Caribbean-GoM_Protocols_2015/NCRMP_Sampling_Design_Protocol_Caribbean_2013-2015_FINAL.pdf"
]
rights otherRestrictions
spatial -64.43145,17.63554,-65.14848,18.41388
temporal 2013-07-08T00:00:00+00:00/2019-08-09T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessment of coral reef fish communities in the U.S. Virgin Islands

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