NCCOS

Collection of Coral and Conch Tissues within the St. Thomas East End Reserves (STEER), USVI

2012

Silver Spring, MD

NCCOS

4

Trip Report, 17-25 June 2012

"The 2012 field mission in the STEER was in support of Year 2 for the project: Characterization of Land-Based Sources of Pollution and Effects in the St. Thomas East End Reserve (STEER). The overall goals of the field mission were to conduct a biological survey of the marine resources within the STEER, and to collect samples of coral and conch for chemical contaminant analysis. The Biogeography Branch of NCCOS. Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) conducted the biological survey, and CCMA.s Coastal Oceanographic Assessment Status and Trends (COAST) Branch conducted the collection of coral and conch tissue for chemical contaminant analysis. This trip report provides a summary of activities by COAST to collect coral and conch tissues for chemical contaminant analysis, along with the personnel involved (personnel list at the end of this document). A separate trip report provides a summary of the biological survey. The goal of the COAST work was twofold: (1) collect coral tissue samples to analyze for chemical contaminants and histology, and (2) collect conch tissue samples to analyze for chemical contaminants."

CRCP Project ID 534; Project Title: Characterization of Land-Based Sources of Pollution and Effects in the St. Thomas East End Reserve (STEER): Year 2; Principal Investigator: Tony Pait