NOAA Towed-Diver Fish Surveys in the Mariana Archipelago

NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program provides data from towed-diver surveys of large-bodied fishes in the Mariana Archipelago. The dataset records the number, size, and species of fish observed within a standardized visual transect. It is produced by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center's Coral Reef Ecosystem Program.

Use Cases

• Analyzing species composition and abundance of large-bodied reef fish across the Mariana Archipelago.
• Monitoring changes in fish size distributions as an indicator of ecosystem health.
• Spatial analysis of fish populations linked to specific island reefs and habitats.
• Supporting long-term coral reef monitoring and management program objectives.

Strengths

• Data collection follows a standardized NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) protocol, ensuring methodological consistency.
• Surveys cover multiple islands within the Mariana Archipelago, providing broad spatial coverage for the region.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, column names, file size, and specific license are unavailable from all sources.
• The exact temporal range of the data collection is not specified in the provided descriptions.

Provenance

Source

NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP).

Collection Method

Data gathered during towed-diver surveys recording fish number, size, and species within a visually estimated 5m x 10m transect.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-06 00:16:38.663015

Geography

Mariana Archipelago, including specific islands like Aguihan, Alamagan, and Asuncion.