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    • National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) of Reef Fish, including Benthic Estimate Data of the Pacific Remote Island Areas since 2014

    Metadata Updated: November 22, 2025

    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.

    The 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 Pacific Remote Island Areas from 2014 through 2025.

    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.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date November 12, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date November 22, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 2025 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date November 12, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date November 22, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 2025 (publication)
    Responsible Party Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (Resource Provider); (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:34519
    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 Pacific Remote Island Areas since 2014 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/34519., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Suggested citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2025). National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) of Reef Fish, including Benthic Estimate Data of the Pacific Remote Island Areas since 2014. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/34519., 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 -159.971695
    Bbox North Lat 16.77717724
    Bbox South Lat -0.38246306
    Bbox West Long -176.62678161
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Harvest Object Id 5c178d6d-caf4-4f5f-b5a4-0b2eca1f51bd
    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 PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) since 2007.
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-176.62678161, -0.38246306], [-159.971695, -0.38246306], [-159.971695, 16.77717724], [-176.62678161, 16.77717724], [-176.62678161, -0.38246306]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2015-01-26
    Temporal Extent End 2015-02-11

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