Jennifer Samson

2017

2018

In response to the 2016 CRCP Science Review and the PIFSC External Review of Ecosystem Science, the PIFSC-Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) will continue efforts initiated in FY17 to improve the timeliness of analytical products and alignment with national and jurisdictional management needs. Following the CRCP‘Wedding Cake’ approach, The FY18 work plan continues efforts to develop a suite of hierarchical, or ‘wedding cake’ suite of management-relevant information products and advisory services derived from the integrated, interdisciplinary coral reef ecosystem observations collected as part of NCRMP/Pacific RAMP across all of the US Pacific Islands jurisdictions over the period 2000-2017. We will finalize data summary and monitoring briefs from MARAMP 2017 and develop preliminary data summaries and monitoring briefs for ASRAMP 2018. With leveraged support from PIRO and to support their on-going efforts to complete the first Monument Management Plan, we will continue the development of a comprehensive ‘Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Report for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument:2000-2017’. Likewise, we will continue working closely with CRCP, the University of Maryland, and our jurisdictional partners in developing Coral Reef Condition Report Cards for: 1) Hawaii, 2) American Samoa, 3) Guam, 4) CNMI, and 5) Pacific Remote Islands. We will work closely with CRCP contractor Jeff Maynard to assist and advise the development of a standard annual NCRMP reporting template. As some jurisdictional examples, ESD staff will continue working closely with the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources on efforts to implement the Hawaii Bleaching Recovery Plan and Governor Ige’s Hawai’i 30 by 30 Ocean Target 30% of nearshore waters to be effectively managed by 2030, including working closely with the Hawaii Coral Bleaching Cooperative and Hawaii Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Collaborative (HIMARC) with DAR, TNC, CI, UH, and the Castle Foundation. For a special issue of the journal Coral Reefs on the 2014-2017 global coral bleaching event, ESD scientists will be analyzing NCRMP data to describe the bleaching events and improve understanding about resilience to bleaching events in Hawaii, the Pacific Remote Islands, the Marianas, and American Samoa. We will continue efforts to monitor recovery and resilience of the coral reefs at Jarvis Island, which experienced 98% coral mortality during the 2015-16 El Nino. We will analyze and publish scientific reports and papers on spatial and temporal patterns of thermal structure (with NOAA Coral Reef Watch), reef accretion rates, and carbonate chemistry (with NOAA Ocean Acidification Program). We continue supporting partners in American Samoa in the efforts to understand the effectiveness of no-take marine protected areas, including both the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa and the Fagamalu community-based fisheries management efforts. We will continue working with and serving on advisory bodies for the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and working groups with PIFSC on supporting efforts to implement ecosystem-based fisheries management, including providing NCRMP data to support the development of annual catch limits and stock assessments for reef fishes.

The FY18 information products and services suite will support NOAA and our Federal, State, and Territorial partners efforts to meet multiple mandates, including: the development of allowable catch limits and designation of essential fish habitat under the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act; critical habitat designations, listing decisions, and recovery plans under the Endangered Species Act; the design of marine protected area networks, and ability to evaluate the effectiveness of various fisheries and coastal resource management actions of our jurisdictional partners. These efforts also support compliance with the Public Access to Research Results policy (PARR, 2013) and will enable continued technical guidance and engagement with our Federal and jurisdictional management partners, including serving on plan teams, advisory groups, and presenting scientific analyses and results at management meetings, workshops, and stakeholder/public outreach events.

• American Samoa
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
• Guam
• Hawaii
• Pacific Remote Island Areas
• Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

• Ka‘anapali-Kahekili (Maui)
• Faga’alu
• Manell-Geus Watershed

National Monitoring

Closed

Completed

https://www.coris.noaa.gov/search/rest/find/document?searchText=projectNumber%3A31186%20OR%20projectTitle%3A"NCRMP%20Data%2C%20Reports%2C%20and%20Information%20Products%20for%20Management"&start=1&max=10&f=searchPage