Reef Fish Surveys for Fagatele Bay, American Samoa, 2007 (NODC Accession 0068717)

METHODOLOGY:Reef fishes were surveyed using the same underwater visual census techniques used in previous surveys: 30 x 2m belt transects laid perpendicular to the four permanent transect lines in FBNMS. This method is described in detail by Birkeland et al. (1987, 1994). In addition to recording fish species and abundance on each transect as in all previoussurveys, fish sizes have also been recorded since 1998.Due to bad weather and limited boat access, only one of the permanent transect lines (Transect 2, depths 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18m) was surveyed by Alison Green in November 2007 (this report). The remaining permanent transect lines will be surveyed by Ben Carroll, and results of these surveys will be provided when they have been completed. Alison Green also conducted the fish surveys in 1995, 1998 and 2001, while two other observers conducted the surveys in 1985 and 1988 (Richard Wass and Steve Amesbury respectively). (Only surveys from 2007 are in this data set). Data Analysis Fish data from Fagatele Bay and the three historic fish transects (FagateleBay, Cape Larsen and Sita Bay) were summarized to determine the relative abundance and species richness at each site and each depth. Fish data from the historic transects were also converted to density estimates (no. individuals per hectare) to make the data among years more comparable (to adjust for the change in sampling area in the 2004 surveys), and to match international standards for fish survey data. Long term trends in coral and fish communities in Fagatele Bay, Pago Pago Harbour and other sites around Tutuila were compared from 1977-1985 to 2007. Fish size data in Fagatele Bay are only available for the three most recent surveys (2001, 2004 and 2007). These data will be summarised at the family level to determine the size-frequency of four important fisheries families over the last seven years once all the data have been collected: Acanthuridae (surgeon fishes), Scaridae (parrot fishes), Lujanidae (snappers) and Serranidae (groupers, see Green 2002 for further details). Size frequency of two important fisheries species will also be compared over the last seven years: Cephalopholis argus (Family Serranidae) and Ctenochaetus striatus (Family Acanthuridae). INSTRUMENT TYPES: SCUBA transect tape REFERENCES: - Birkeland, C., Randall, R., Wass, R., Smith, B., Wilkins, S. 1987. Biological resource assessment of the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary.NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS MEMD 3. 232pp.- Birkeland, C., Randall, R., Amesbury, S. 1994. Coral and reef-fish assessment of the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Report to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. 126pp.- Fenner, D., Green, A., Birkeland, C., Squair, C., and Carroll, B., 2008. Long term monitoring of Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Tutuila Island, American Samoa: results of surveys conducted in 2007/8, including are-survey of the historic Aua Transect. Prepared for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the American Samoa Department of Commerce, Environmental Division. 58 pp.- Green, A.L. 2002. Status of the coral reefs on the main volcanic islands of American Samoa: a resurvey of long term monitoring sites (benthic communities,fish communities, and key macroinvertebrates). A report prepared for the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, P.O. Box 3730, Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799. 135 pp.- Green, A., Miller, K., and C. Mundy. 2005. Long term monitoring of Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Tutuila Island, American Samoa: results of surveys conducted in 2004, including a re-survey of the historic Aua Transect.