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    • National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) of Reef Fish, including Benthic Estimate Data of the Mariana Archipelago since 2014

    Metadata Updated: March 22, 2024

    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.

    Data provided in this data set were collected as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) led NCRMP missions around the Marianas Islands since 2014. Additionally, data collected as part of a shore-based survey effort around Guam in 2014 are included as these data are funded separately from but are complementary to the NCRMP-funded data.

    Reef fish and benthic estimate data collected during SPC surveys can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date February 29, 2024
    Metadata Created Date March 22, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date March 22, 2024
    Reference Date(s) 2022 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Graphic Preview

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date February 29, 2024
    Metadata Created Date March 22, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date March 22, 2024
    Reference Date(s) 2022 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:34518
    Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) of Reef Fish, including Benthic Estimate Data of the Mariana Archipelago since 2014 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/34518., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Suggested citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2022). National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) of Reef Fish, including Benthic Estimate Data of the Mariana Archipelago since 2014. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/34518., Distribution Liability: While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
    Bbox East Long 145.852711
    Bbox North Lat 20.554051
    Bbox South Lat 13.22889458
    Bbox West Long 144.624971
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview File https://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/img/diver_counting_fish_using_spc_sm.jpg
    Graphic Preview Type JPG
    Harvest Object Id 690c59e2-3fe1-4604-bb86-60302aaa5324
    Harvest Source Id c0beac72-5f43-4455-8c33-1b345fbc2dfe
    Harvest Source Title NMFS PIFSC
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage Stationary Point Count survey of coral reef fish methodology, employed by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD, formerly Coral Reef Ecosystem Sciences Division) since 2007.
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[144.624971, 13.22889458], [145.852711, 13.22889458], [145.852711, 20.554051], [144.624971, 20.554051], [144.624971, 13.22889458]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2014-03-25
    Temporal Extent End 2014-05-07

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