# Presentation: 662639

## Marianas Archipelago Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (MARAMP) 2003

**   ****NOAA**
-  **Fisheries – PIFSC - CRED, HC**
** ****NOS – NCCOS, SPO, NGS**
** ****NESDIS – CRW**
** ****OAR - CRW**
**   ****CNMI**
** ****Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW)**
** ****Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ)**
** ****Coastal Resources Management (CRM)**
**   ****Guam**
** ****Division of Aquatic & Wildlife Resource (DAWR) **

**   ****University of Guam Marine Lab**
**   ****University of Hawaii**
** ****JIMAR & HMRG**
**   ****University of Florida**
**   ****Bishop Museum**
-    **National Park Service**
**   ****US Fish & Wildlife Service**
**   ****Western Pacific Regional FMC**
**   ****Guam Fisherman’s Co-op**

**CNMI Findings**

## Local Partners

**Peter Houk - DEQ**

**Trina Leberer – Guam DAWR**

**Mike Trianni - DFW**

**Kate Moots - DFW**

**Ken Cochrane - CRM**

_**Local Partners**_

## MARAMP 2003

_**MARAMP 2003**_
**Surveyed 14 islands   and 10 oceanic banks along entire archipelago.**
**   ****Most comprehensive archipelago-wide, multi-disciplinary assessment of coral reef ecosystems ever conducted**
**   ****Plans to conduct biennial MARAMP monitoring cruises**

## Summary of Work

**161 towed diver habitat & fish surveys covering ~400 km of habitat**
**82 towed diver turtle & fish surveys covering ~200 km of habitat**
**126 126 TOAD camera & QTC acoustic habitat mapping surveys**
**52 bioacoustic surveys of water column biomass **
**224 km sq multibeam habitat mapping **
**Oceanographic profiles: 273 CTDs, ~1000 km ADCP **
**19 Coral Reef Watch oceanographic moorings**
**5 SVP satellite-tracked drifter deployments**
**1204 SCUBA dives!**

_**Summary of Work**_

## Example of surveys at each island or bank 

**Maug Islands,  Northern Marianas Islands**

## Towed Diver Habitat and Fish Surveys

**Maug Islands, Northern Marianas Islands**

**Towed Diver Habitat and Fish Surveys**

## Distribution of Giant Clams observed 

**Distribution of Giant Clams observed **
**during Towed Diver Surveys**

## Distribution and Abundance of Sharks

## Distribution of Sea Turtles

## Coral Communities of CNMI

**Peter Houk, DEQ**

**Notes:**
More species frequently encountered in Southern Islands

## Coral Bleaching Observed during MARAMP 2003

**Northern Islands: ~30-70 % of corals have mild bleaching**
**Southern Islands: ~2-30 % of corals with mild bleaching**
**Crown-of-thorns seastars abundant in a few locations around inhabited Southern Islands. Rare in Northern Islands**

**Notes:**
More species frequently encountered in Southern Islands

## Life and Death of a Coral Reef

**Anatahan – former well-developed and diversity rich  continuous reef tracts on N and W sides smothered in ash from May 6****th**** eruption killing entire benthic community.**
**Monitoring the re-birth of Anatahan reef communities will greatly improve understanding of the development and evolution of reef ecosystems. **
**Range of development of reef communities in Marianas Archipelago provides a natural laboratory to study this development. **

## Fish Stories

**Surprisingly, sharks & other large predators were uncommon in Northern Islands & banks, although somewhat more common than at the lower inhabited islands. **
**Many new fish species records at most islands and banks due to few previous shallow-water surveys. **
**Fish diversity highest at Southern Islands, moderate at the Western Banks, and lowest at the Northern Islands.**
**High densities of recently recruited young juveniles were present for a number of species at many of the northern reefs. **
**Some reefs have potential as candidates for MPA designation (e.g., SW side of Goat I, S and W side of Saipan, W side of Guguan, W side of Maug.**

## Benthic Habitat Mapping with

**Multibeam Survey Launch R/V *****AHI***

**Extensive support provided by DFW with 27’ Whaler**

## Slide 15

## Mapping Around Saipan & Western Anchorages

**Mapping Around Saipan & Western Anchorages**

## Mapping Around Saipan & Western Anchorages

**Mapping Around Saipan & Western Anchorages**

## Sasanhana Bay,  Rota

## Coral Reef Watch

**Coral Reef Watch**
**(NESDIS, OAR, NMFS)**

**   ****Monitoring   **
**    ****Oceanographic **
**    ****Processes Influencing   **
**    ****Reef Health**
**   ****Issuing Bleaching**
**    ****Alerts and Warnings**
**  **
**   ****CREWS buoy (1)**
**   ****SST buoys (4)**
**   ****STRs (11)**
**   ****Ocean Data Platform (1)**
**   ****Wave/Tide Recorder (2)**
**   ****SVP Drifters (5)**

**CREWS Buoy**

**SST Buoy**

**STR**

**SST Buoy**

**SST Buoy**

**SST Buoy**

**SST Buoy**

**SST Buoy**

**ODP**

**STR (2)**

**STR**

**STR**

**STR**

**STR**

**STR**

**STR**

**STR**

**STR**

**STR**

**WTR**

**WTR**

**SST Buoy**

## Slide 20