Reef Fish and Benthic Habitat Linkages in Tutuila and Hawaii

NOAA's Coral Reef Ecosystem Program conducted a pilot study in Tutuila, American Samoa and expanded it to the main Hawaiian Islands. The analysis examines relationships between geomorphological benthic characteristics and fish demographics using data collected from 2010 to 2016. Derived metrics include slope, rugosity, curvature, and convexity from bathymetry data.

Use Cases

• Modeling fish biomass estimates based on habitat convexity and depth strata
• Analyzing fish assemblage distribution based on benthic rugosity and slope metrics
• Designing stratified random survey protocols using environmental correlates
• Evaluating coral reef management strategies based on habitat-fish linkages

Strengths

• Data collected over a 6-year period from 2010 to 2016
• Analysis spans two distinct geographic regions: Tutuila, American Samoa and the main Hawaiian Islands
• Derived geomorphological metrics include slope, rugosity, curvature, and convexity

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Freshness should be verified; last metadata update is 2026-03-14

Provenance

Source

NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Coral Reef Ecosystem Program

Collection Method

Rapid Ecological Assessment surveys using a stratified random design with depth as an environmental correlate

Time Range

2010 to 2016

Geography

Tutuila, American Samoa and the main Hawaiian Islands