Linkages between reef fish demographics and benthic habitat characteristics in Tutuila, American Samoa and Main Hawaiian Islands

Description

Benthic habitats play vital roles in the distribution and abundances of marine resources. Understanding how fish populations respond to variability of benthic habitat characteristics is essential for effective coral reef management and monitoring. A pilot study was conducted by NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) to examine the relationships and linkages between the geomorphological benthic characteristics and fish demographics in Tutuila, American Samoa and the analysis was later expanded to the main Hawaiian Islands. Geomorphological metrics characterizing benthic habitats including slope, rugosity, curvature, and convexity were derived using best available bathymetry for each area. The fish assemblages and abundance data were collected during Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys from 2010 to 2016. These fish data were collected according to a stratified random survey design using depth as an environmental correlate. Based on the analysis for Tutuila, American Samoa, preliminary evidence was found that using both depth and convexity to define strata may result in more precise estimates of fish biomass. This analysis was expanded to the main Hawaiian Islands for the subsequent year of the project, and found that including several other metrics in CREP's sampling design can enhance the estimates of fish biomass. Results and data from the analysis for Tutuila, American Samoa can be accessed online via the Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center website at http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/pibhmc_documentation.htm#other_pubs. The PIFSC administrative report from the analysis for the main Hawaiian Islands is in review as of Aug 2017 and will be available on the PIFSC website once published at https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/library/staff_publications.php.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
57 The ReadMe.txt file describes the CSV files included in the ZIP file. The csv files include all the data used in the pilot analysis detailed in the report for Tutuila. The name of each file includes a geomorphology metric and a number (0, 30, 50, or 100), corresponding to the radius of the spatial averaging buffer (i.e., four different spatial scales) used to generate the metric. The data dictionary, or definition of each field included in the CSV files is included in the ReadMe.txt file. ftp://ftp.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/website/webdocs/documentation/Archive_LinkagesRawData.zip
33 A report detailing the methods to derive benthic terrain metrics and to characterize the benthic landscape using bathymetric data using SAGA software. ftp://ftp.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/website/webdocs/documentation/linkages_project_methods_final.pdf
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/26865
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
0 Link to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program website https://coralreef.noaa.gov
0 Online Resource https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/
0 Online Resource https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/#/lidar/search/
0 Online Resource https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/surveying-vast-ocean
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/find-data/idn/gcmd-keywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/26865.pdf
33 A report detailing the preliminary analysis to examine linkages between reef fish assemblages and benthic habitat characteristics in Tutuila, American Samoa. ftp://ftp.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/website/webdocs/documentation/LinkagesReport_FINAL.pdf

Tags

  • hawaiian islands (21n157w0027)
  • lanai island (20n156w0002)
  • crep
  • lanai island
  • doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
  • united states of america
  • reef monitoring and assessment
  • aquatic habitat
  • corals
  • north pacific ocean
  • geomorphology mapping
  • benthic habitat
  • coral reef ecosystem division
  • oahu (21n157w0003)
  • pifsc
  • ecological characterization
  • 467
  • maui
  • biosphere
  • tutuila island (14s170w0016)
  • bathymetry
  • oceans
  • maui island (20n156w0004)
  • mhi
  • coral reef conservation program
  • linkages
  • molokai island
  • american samoa
  • maui island
  • mapping and ecospatial information products to support coral reef ecosystem management in the pacifi
  • noaa
  • hawaii
  • nmfs
  • oahu island
  • us doc
  • slope
  • habitats
  • fish
  • hawaii island (19n155w0003)
  • kauai
  • pacific islands fisheries science center
  • hawaii (21n160w0000)
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • molokai island (21n157w0001)
  • national marine fisheries service
  • bathymetry/seafloor topography
  • niihau island (21n160w0001)
  • hawaiian islands
  • kauai island (22n159w0001)
  • ecosystem monitoring and assessment
  • marine biology
  • fish assemblages
  • cred
  • honolulu
  • central pacific ocean
  • reef habitat
  • derived products
  • coral reef ecology
  • ocean basin
  • main hawaiian islands
  • ecosystem sciences division
  • niihau island
  • coastal processes
  • zoology
  • coral reefs
  • mapping
  • kauai island
  • pacific ocean
  • geographic information
  • country/territory
  • rugosity
  • hawaii island
  • south pacific ocean
  • coral reef ecosystem program

Topics

Categories