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National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) of Reef Fish, including Benthic Estimate Data of the Hawaiian Archipelago since 2013

Published by Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 02, 2026 at 11:18 PM | Dataset Last Updated: November 01, 2024 at 12:00 AM
The stationary point count (SPC) method is used to conduct reef fish surveys in the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The SPC method catalogs the diversity (species richness), abundance (numeric density) and biomass (fish mass per unit area) of diurnally active reef fish assemblages in shallow-water (less than 30 m) hard-bottom habitats. Visual estimates of benthic cover and topographic complexity are also recorded, with benthic organisms grouped into broad functional categories (e.g., 'Hard Coral', 'Macroalgae'). A stratified random sampling (StRS) design is employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems throughout the U.S.-Pacific regions. For all regions, the survey domain encompasses the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats and the stratification includes island, reef zone, and depth, with the exception of the Main Hawaiian Islands that includes habitat structure type as well. Sampling effort is allocated based on strata area. Reef fish and benthic estimate data provided in this data set were collected during SPC surveys as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) led NCRMP missions around the Main Hawaiian Islands in 2013, 2016, and 2019, 2024 and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 2016 & 2024. Data collected as part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument funded research cruises in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 2014, 2015, and 2017 are also included as these data are funded separately from but are complementary to the NCRMP-funded data. Additionally, data collected as part of a PIFSC-funded Reef Fish Survey cruise in the Main Hawaiian Islands in 2015 are included as these data are funded separately from but are complementary to the NCRMP-funded data. During the 2015 and cruise, some sites were surveyed using both open-circuit SCUBA (OC) and closed-circuit rebreather (CCR), as part of an ongoing assessment of sources of bias in survey count relating to divers' presence. The CCR data is archived separately.

Resources

15 resources available

  • V0_FISH_REA HAWAII 2016.csv

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  • PIFSC_H-15-07_2015_SOP_Fish.pdf

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  • V0_FISH_REA HAWAII 2013.csv

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  • V0_FISH_REA HAWAII 2015.csv

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  • V0_FISH_REA HAWAII 2019.csv

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  • CRCP_Reef_Fish_Surveys_Hawaii.html

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  • V0_FISH_REA HAWAII 2017_PMNM.csv

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  • V0_FISH_REA HAWAII 2015_PMNM.csv

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  • V0_FISH_REA HAWAII 2014_PMNM.csv

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  • ncrmp_nspc_fish_pacific

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  • NCRMP_FISH_SPC_HAWAII_2024.csv

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  • Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Fish Monitoring Brief: Hawaii, 2024

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  • NCRMP in the Pacific Reef Fish Brief Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

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  • GCMD Keyword Forum Page

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  • Full Metadata Record

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