The design of this field mission is three fold: (1) to spatially characterize the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and macro invertebrates within and around the waters of the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary using, (2) to relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters and (3) to use hydroacoustics technologies for a comprehensive assessment of East and West Bank. This information collected will be used to evaluate the utility of an experimental fishing closure on one of the most pristine reefs under US jurisdiction in the tropical Western Atlantic. Data collected during this mission (pre-closure) will provide baseline information necessary to evaluate closure efficacy and assess whether the closure should become permanent.
1. To design and implement a mobile fisheries sonar survey in concert with multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys to assess and map fish densities and biomass within and outside proposed management zones.2. To assess distribution of fish densities relative to management and ecological reserve boundaries and other differences that may be associated with management zones and habitat types, particularly as fish distributions relate to movements between habitat types.3. To assess the extent of fish density distributions in comparison with ROV surveys and fish community assessments.
ground condition
None
101 Pivers Island Road
Prior to survey, calibration was performed utilizing a tungsten sphere to get accurate target strength returns and then the calibration data was applied to the survey data.
All data was scrutinized and edited for bad data returns. Apply a tracking algorithmic to detect fish in the water column. All data analyses were conducted using Echoview 5.1 software.
The fish acoustic data is for the East and West Banks for the Flower Garden National Marine Sanctuary. Only surveyed predefined areas of the sanctuary in a variety of habitats.
A 120kHz scientific split-beam acoustic system(Simrad EK60)was used to collect the acoustic data. Data was record and backed up to external hard drive during survey in a *.raw file format. Deployment of the transducer was of the side pole mount aboard the R/V Manta. GPS data was recorded straight to the .raw file from a Garmin GPS antenna. All equipment offsets were applied prior to the start of the survey in the acquisition software. Survey was set at 50m line spacing for the coral caps and 100m line spacing for the other habitat within the Sanctuary. All data was processed in Echoview 5.1 and an exported *.csv file was converted to a *.shp file.
Unique Feature Identifier
ERSI
Geometric Shape
Area of the survey divided into 100 meter square sections
Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research (CCFHR)
The angular distance north or south of the earth's equator, measured in degrees.
The angular distance East or West from the Prime Meridian, measured in deqrees.
Average Size of Small Fish <11cm in a given interval.
Density of Small Fish(<11cm) in a given interval.
Average Size of Medium Fish between 11cm and 29cm in a given interval
Density of Medium Size Fish(between11cm and 29cm) in a given interval
Average Size of Large Fish >29cm in a given interval
Density of Large Fish >29cm in a given interval
All fish in a given interval
The average distance off the sea floor of fish in a given interval.
Average Date(EST) of the data during collection for a given interval
Average Time(EST) of the data during collection for a given interval
Average Date(GMT) of the data during collection for a given interval
Average Time(GMT) of the data during collection for a given interval
The fish distribution table cover all of the area surveyed in May 2011 during ROV cruise and are divide into different fish classes by length.
Fields within fish distribution table are described as attributes within the Detailed Descriptions for the Entity
101 Piver Island Road
These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA can not assume liability for and damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.
Contact Chris Taylor @ chris.taylor@noaa.gov
