Long-term monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks, 2015 annual report

Johnston, Michelle Anne

Eckert, Ryan J.

Sterne, Travis K.

Nuttall, Marissa F.

Embesi, John A.

Hickerson, Emma L. (Emma Louise)

Schmahl, George P.

Johnson, Matthew W. (Matthew Whelan)

United States, National Ocean Service., Office of National Marine Sanctuaries,

United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

Coral Reef Conservation Program (U.S.)

National Marine Protected Areas Center (U.S.)

United States, National Ocean Service., Office of National Marine Sanctuaries,

United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

Coral Reef Conservation Program (U.S.)

National Marine Protected Areas Center (U.S.)

2016

Since 1989 a federally supported long-term coral reef monitoring program has focused on two study sites atop East Flower Garden Bank and West Flower Garden Bank (EFGB and WFGB) in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. In 27 years of continuous monitoring, mean coral cover was above 50% and represented a stable coral community. Despite global coral reef decline in recent decades, EFGB and WFGB have suffered minimally from hurricanes, coral bleaching, and disease, and the reef supports relatively diverse and abundant benthic and fish populations. This report summarizes fish and benthic community observations and water quality data from 2015 as part of the annual long-term monitoring program jointly funded by NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The benthic and fish community surveys were conducted by a team of multi-disciplinary scientists using random transects to document components of benthic cover, repetitive photostations to document changes in the composition of benthic assemblages in shallow and deep repetitive sites, and modified Bohnsack and Bannerot (1986) fish surveys to examine fish population composition within designated study sites at EFGB and WFGB"--Executive Summary.

Benthos

Coral reefs and islands

Marine parks and reserves

Monitoring

Texas

Gulf Coast

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Tex.)

NOS (National Ocean Service)

ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)

CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System)

MPA (Marine Protected Areas)

Miscellaneous

Marine sanctuaries conservation series ; ONMS-16-02

Since 1989 a federally supported long-term coral reef monitoring program has focused on two study sites atop East Flower Garden Bank and West Flower Garden Bank (EFGB and WFGB) in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. In 27 years of continuous monitoring, mean coral cover was above 50% and represented a stable coral community. Despite global coral reef decline in recent decades, EFGB and WFGB have suffered minimally from hurricanes, coral bleaching, and disease, and the reef supports relatively diverse and abundant benthic and fish populations. This report summarizes fish and benthic community observations and water quality data from 2015 as part of the annual long-term monitoring program jointly funded by NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The benthic and fish community surveys were conducted by a team of multi-disciplinary scientists using random transects to document components of benthic cover, repetitive photostations to document changes in the composition of benthic assemblages in shallow and deep repetitive sites, and modified Bohnsack and Bannerot (1986) fish surveys to examine fish population composition within designated study sites at EFGB and WFGB"--Executive Summary.

2016

NOS (National Ocean Service)

ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)

CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System)

MPA (Marine Protected Areas)

Library

Public Domain

1936

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/13935