National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Towed-diver Surveys of Large-bodied Fishes of the Marianas since 2014

Description

The towed-diver method is used to conduct surveys of large-bodied (> 50 cm) fishes 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). A suitable method for assessing relatively large areas of reef habitat, the method involves towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for approximately 50 min following the ~15-m depth contour and covering about 2–3 km of habitat. Each diver is equipped with a towboard and attempts to maintain a constant elevation above the surface of the reef (~1 m) for the duration of the survey. A complete towed-diver survey is divided into 10 5-min segments, with visual observations recorded by 5-min segment. The visual estimate data provided in this dataset were collected during towed-diver surveys in which the number, size, and species of all large-bodied fishes observed within a visually estimated 5-m transect on either side of the fish diver and 10 m in front were recorded. The data were collected around the Marianas as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) led mission since 2014. These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) website, Monitoring Status Reports page. Monitoring status reports provide a periodic review of the coral reef monitoring surveys and research conducted by CREP each year in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands region. https://pifsc-www.irc.noaa.gov/cred/monitoring_status_reports.php
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2014. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157554
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2017. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0166382
0 Ecosystem Sciences Division standard operating procedures: data collection for towed-diver benthic and fish surveys. PIFSC Administrative Report H-18-02. https://doi.org/10.25923/59sb-sy51 https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/35762
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
0 Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, Fish Ecology and Monitoring http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/fish.php
0 Information about the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) on the NOAA Coral Reef Information System website. http://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Data Report: Ecological monitoring 2015---reef fishes and benthic habitats of the main Hawaiian Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Remote Island Areas, and American Samoa. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, survey methods page, which includes a brief description of the fish towed-diver survey method used since 2000 to survey large-bodied fishes. http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods.php
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/35762.pdf
0 Ecosystem Sciences Division standard operating procedures: data collection for towed-diver benthic and fish surveys. PIFSC Administrative Report H-18-02. https://doi.org/10.25923/59sb-sy51 https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2014. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157554
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/35762
0 Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, Fish Ecology and Monitoring https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/fish.php
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/35762.pdf
0 Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Data Report: Ecological monitoring 2015---reef fishes and benthic habitats of the main Hawaiian Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Remote Island Areas, and American Samoa. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2017. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0166382
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
0 Information about the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) on the NOAA Coral Reef Information System website. https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, survey methods page, which includes a brief description of the fish towed-diver survey method used since 2000 to survey large-bodied fishes. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods.php
0 NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) website, Monitoring Status Reports page. Monitoring status reports provide a periodic review of the coral reef monitoring surveys and research conducted by CREP each year in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands region. https://pifsc-www.irc.noaa.gov/cred/monitoring_status_reports.php
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2014. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157554
0 Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Data Report: Ecological monitoring 2015---reef fishes and benthic habitats of the main Hawaiian Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Remote Island Areas, and American Samoa. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2017. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0166382
0 Ecosystem Sciences Division standard operating procedures: data collection for towed-diver benthic and fish surveys. PIFSC Administrative Report H-18-02. https://doi.org/10.25923/59sb-sy51 https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/35762
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
0 Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, Fish Ecology and Monitoring https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/fish.php
0 Information about the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) on the NOAA Coral Reef Information System website. https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, survey methods page, which includes a brief description of the fish towed-diver survey method used since 2000 to survey large-bodied fishes. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods.php
0 NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) website, Monitoring Status Reports page. Monitoring status reports provide a periodic review of the coral reef monitoring surveys and research conducted by CREP each year in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands region. https://pifsc-www.irc.noaa.gov/cred/monitoring_status_reports.php
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/35762.pdf
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2014. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157554
0 Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Data Report: Ecological monitoring 2015---reef fishes and benthic habitats of the main Hawaiian Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Remote Island Areas, and American Samoa. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2017. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0166382
0 Ecosystem Sciences Division standard operating procedures: data collection for towed-diver benthic and fish surveys. PIFSC Administrative Report H-18-02. https://doi.org/10.25923/59sb-sy51 https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/35762
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
0 Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, Fish Ecology and Monitoring https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/fish.php
0 Information about the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) on the NOAA Coral Reef Information System website. https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, survey methods page, which includes a brief description of the fish towed-diver survey method used since 2000 to survey large-bodied fishes. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods.php
0 NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) website, Monitoring Status Reports page. Monitoring status reports provide a periodic review of the coral reef monitoring surveys and research conducted by CREP each year in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands region. https://pifsc-www.irc.noaa.gov/cred/monitoring_status_reports.php
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/35762.pdf
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2014. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157554
0 Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Data Report: Ecological monitoring 2015---reef fishes and benthic habitats of the main Hawaiian Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Remote Island Areas, and American Samoa. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Observations from towed-diver surveys of coral reef fishes by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted in the Marianas in 2017. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0166382
0 Ecosystem Sciences Division standard operating procedures: data collection for towed-diver benthic and fish surveys. PIFSC Administrative Report H-18-02. https://doi.org/10.25923/59sb-sy51 https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/35762
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
0 Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, Fish Ecology and Monitoring https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/fish.php
0 Information about the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) on the NOAA Coral Reef Information System website. https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program website, survey methods page, which includes a brief description of the fish towed-diver survey method used since 2000 to survey large-bodied fishes. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods.php
0 NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) website, Monitoring Status Reports page. Monitoring status reports provide a periodic review of the coral reef monitoring surveys and research conducted by CREP each year in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands region. https://pifsc-www.irc.noaa.gov/cred/monitoring_status_reports.php
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/35762.pdf

Tags

  • guguan island
  • farallon de pajaros (12n144e0001)
  • fish species
  • crep
  • aguijan
  • doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
  • united states of america
  • species identification - organism length
  • western pacific ocean
  • alamagan island (17n145e0002)
  • reef monitoring and assessment
  • maug
  • asuncion island (19n145e0001)
  • aquatic habitat
  • towed diver
  • corals
  • guguan island (17n145e0001)
  • coral reef ecosystem division
  • northern mariana islands
  • fish - coral reef
  • pifsc
  • in situ biological
  • biosphere
  • national coral reef monitoring program
  • maug island
  • rota island
  • species identification
  • survey
  • oceans
  • coral reef conservation program
  • rota island ( luta ) (14n145e0007)
  • maug island (20n145e0001)
  • northern mariana islands ( cnmi ) (18n146e0000)
  • survey - biological
  • cnmi
  • noaa
  • guam
  • pagan island (18n145e0001)
  • numeric data sets
  • marianas
  • aguijan island reefs
  • nmfs
  • farallon de pajaros
  • guam (13n144e0000)
  • us doc
  • linear transect
  • tinian island reefs
  • fish
  • pacific islands fisheries science center
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • tds
  • national marine fisheries service
  • triennial
  • mariana archipelago
  • reef fish census
  • tows
  • marine biology
  • fish assemblages
  • marianas archipelago
  • cred
  • guguan
  • saipan island
  • rota
  • saipan
  • marianas trench marine national monument
  • pagan
  • survey - swimmer/diver
  • 743
  • commonwealth of the northern mariana islands
  • mariana islands
  • visual estimate
  • pagan island
  • reef habitat
  • asuncion island
  • nw pacific
  • coral reef ecology
  • ocean basin
  • towed-diver surveys
  • ecosystem sciences division
  • coastal processes
  • hi'ialakai
  • saipan island (15n145e0002)
  • zoology
  • coral reefs
  • sarigan island (16n145e0003)
  • fish census
  • pacific ocean
  • towboard
  • species identification - count
  • country/territory
  • tinian
  • fish biomass
  • alamagan island
  • sarigan island
  • tinian island (14n145e0005)
  • coral reef studies
  • aguijan island (14n145e0006)
  • coral reef ecosystem program

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