Geodatabase of fish assemblages for the Florida Coral Reef Tract from 1980-01-01 to 2010-12-31 (NCEI Accession 0125569)

This dataset is a point shapefile showing the distribution of species richness, Shannon's Diversity (H), and Shannon's Evenness (J) along the Florida Keys (Key Biscayne to Key West based on data collected from 1980 through 2010. Point estimates of species richness, Shannon's diversity (H), and Evenness were derived from Reef Visual Census (RVC) Surveys. RVC surveys were conducted using a cooperative multi-agency Reef Fish Monitoring Protocol for the Florida Keys Coral Reef Ecosystem (Menza et al., 2006; Brandt et al., 2009). Data on fish occurrence and abundance were collected using a 200-m x 200-m polygon grid developed by The University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM-RSMAS) and the National Marine Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center (NFMS-SEFSC). The grid forms the basis for a two-stage stratified random sampling allocation scheme that was developed to estimate important metrics for living resource populations (e.g., corals and reef fishes) in Southwest Florida, extending from Martin County in the northeast through the Florida Keys to the Dry Tortugas in the southwest (Jeffrey et al., 2012; Ault et al., In Press).

This dataset is part of an spatial analytical framework that was developed: 1) to describe the spatial distribution patterns of living resources (reef fish, algae, corals, gorgonians, sponges, and other benthic invertebrates along the Florida Coral Reef Tract (FCRT); 2) document temporal changes in benthic communities throughout the region, and 3) inform the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Marine Zoning and Regulatory Review process. The timeline for the review process is November 2011 through Summer 2015.