Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Sightings of Marine Species of Interest during Towed-diver Surveys of the U.S. Pacific Reefs from 2000 to 2017

The presence data described here include "off transect" sightings of marine species of interest observed during fish towed-diver surveys conducted by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD)--formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division--as part of the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP). These underwater surveys were conducted across coral reef habitats of the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas from 2000 to 2017. Presence data for marine species observed outside the fish towed-diver's transect were recorded, including the taxon name - generally to species level, the number observed, and in most cases the size in centimeters. Marine species observed include sea turtles, dolphins, eels, rays, seals, as well as a number of fish species that were considered to be species of interest, such as the humphead wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, most reef sharks, and species of large grouper. While not included in this dataset, the towed-diver method was primarily used by ESD to survey large-bodied (>50 cm) fishes within the towed-diver transect and to assess the reef habitat. This dataset also includes fish species of interest observed inside the transect area, but where those were less than 50 cm in total length (and therefore not recorded with the large-bodied fish towed-diver survey data).

Generally, the towed-diver method involves towing a pair of SCUBA divers--one benthic and one fish--behind a small boat for 50 minutes, approximately following the ~15-m depth contour and covering a linear distance of about 2 kilometers per survey. Each diver was equipped with a towboard and attempted to maintain position ~1 meter above the surface of the reef for the duration of the survey. A complete towed-diver survey includes ten 5-minute segments, with visual observations recorded by 5-minute segment. Sightings of marine species included in this dataset were also recorded by the 5-min segment in which the species was observed.

Tags: 1221, 587, 743, agrihan island, agrihan island (18n145e0002), aguihan, aguihan island (aguijan) (14n145e0006), aguihan island reefs, alamagan island, alamagan island (17n145e0002), american samoa, american samoa (14s170w0000), anatahan, anatahan island, anatahan island (16n145e0001), aquatic habitat, arakane reef, arakane reef (15n141e0001), asuncion island, asuncion island (19n145e0001), baker island, baker island (00n176w0001), biology, biosphere, c204 pacific reef assessment and monitoring program (pacific ramp): biennial monitoring for the us p, central pacific ocean, cetaceans, cnmi, coastal processes, commonwealth of the northern mariana islands, coral reef conservation program, coral reef ecology, coral reef ecosystem division, coral reef ecosystem program, coral reef studies, coral reefs, corals, country/territory, cred, crep, depth - sensor, doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc, earth science, ecosystem monitoring and assessment, ecosystem sciences division, equatorial pacific ocean, esd, farallon de pajaros, farallon de pajaros (20n144e0001), fish, french frigate shoals (24n166w0001), gardner pinnacles (25n168w0001), guam, guam (13n144e0000), guguan, guguan island, guguan island (17n145e0001), hawaii, hawaii island, hawaii island (19n155w0003), hawaiian islands, hawaiian islands (21n157w0027), hi'ialakai, honolulu, howland island, howland island (00s176w0001), in situ biological, jarvis island (00s160w0001), johnston atoll, johnston atoll (16n169w0001), kauai, kauai island, kauai island (22n159w0001), kaula island (21n160w0003), kingman reef (06n162w0001), kure atoll (28n178w0001), lanai island, lanai island (20n156w0002), laysan island (25n171w0001), line islands, lisianski island (25n173w0001), main hawaiian islands, manu'a group, manu'a islands (14s170w0038), mariana archipelago, mariana islands, marianas, marianas trench marine national monument, marine biology, marine mammals, marine reptiles, maro reef (25n170w0001), maug, maug island, maug island (20n145e0001), maui, maui island, maui island (20n156w0004), mhi, midway atoll (28n177w0001), molokai island, molokai island (21n157w0001), national coral reef monitoring program, national marine fisheries service, ncrmp, necker island (23n164w0001), niihau island, niihau island (21n160w0001), nmfs, noaa, north pacific ocean, northern mariana islands, northern mariana islands ( cnmi ) (18n146e0000), northwestern hawaiian islands, northwestern hawaiian islands (28n178w0000), numeric data sets, nw pacific, nwhi, oahu (21n157w0003), oahu island, ocean basin, oceans, ofu island (14s169w0013), olosega island (14s169w0014), oscar elton sette, pacific islands fisheries science center, pacific ocean, pacific reef and assessment monitoring program, pacific reef assessment and monitoring program: monitoring coral reef ecosystems of the us pacific i, pacific remote island areas, pacific remote islands marine national monument, pagan, pagan island, pagan island (18n145e0001), palmyra atoll (05n162w0001), papahanaumokuakea marine national monument, pathfinder reef, pathfinder reef (16n141e0001), pearl and hermes reef (27n176w0001), pifsc, pinnipeds, pmnm, pria, primnm, raita bank (25n168w0002), ramp, reef assessment and monitoring program, reef habitat, reef monitoring and assessment, rose atoll (14s168w0001), rose atoll marine national monument, rota, rota island, rota island ( luta ) (14n145e0007), saipan, saipan island, saipan island (15n145e0002), santa rosa bank (12n144e0051), sarigan island, sarigan island (16n145e0003), south bank (14s170w0067), south pacific ocean, species identification, species identification - count, species identification - organism length, stingray shoals (20n142e0001), survey - swimmer/diver, swains atoll (11s171w0001), ta'u island (14s169w0012), tatsumi reef (14n145e0011), tds, temperature sensors, tinian, tinian island, tinian island (14n145e0005), tinian island reefs, towboard, towed diver, towed-diver survey, townsend cromwell, turtles, tutuila island (14s170w0016), u.s. department of commerce, united states of america, us doc, usa minor outlying islands, vertebrates, wake atoll, wake atoll (19n167e0001), water temperature, western pacific ocean, zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce