NOAA Coral Reef Fish Surveys in American Samoa, 2015

National Coral Reef Monitoring Program data contains visual estimates of large-bodied fishes from towed-diver surveys in American Samoa in 2015. The data were collected by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center's Coral Reef Ecosystem Program. Observations include the number, size, and species of fish within a defined transect area.

Use Cases

• Assess population density of large-bodied reef fish based on visual survey counts.
• Analyze species distribution and size structure in American Samoa based on recorded species and size data.
• Monitor coral reef ecosystem health over time based on fish community data collected via standardized towed-diver method.

Strengths

• Data collected via a standardized NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) method.
• Surveys cover approximately 2–3 km of habitat per tow, providing spatial context.
• Observations are structured into 10 5-minute segments for temporal analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a single year (2015), limiting longitudinal analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Towed-diver surveys following the ~15-m depth contour, with visual observations recorded in 5-minute segments.

Time Range

2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:59:52.206170; freshness should be verified.

Geography

American Samoa