Pacific Reef Fish Belt Transect Surveys from 2000 to 2009

Belt transect surveys enumerate diurnally active shallow-water reef fish assemblages across the Pacific Ocean. The surveys were conducted by NOAA scuba diver-observers from 2000 to 2009, recording species-level counts within defined belt widths. Raw survey data includes species-level abundance estimates and can be accessed via NOAA NCEI Ocean Archive.

Use Cases

• Model reef fish population trends based on species-level abundance estimates.
• Analyze biodiversity patterns across Pacific coral reef sites based on survey locations.
• Assess the impact of environmental factors on fish assemblages based on temporal and spatial survey data.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a decade from 2000 to 2009.
• Survey methodology is detailed, specifying belt widths (4m and 2m) and transect lengths (25m).
• Data includes species-level identification where possible.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to surveyed Pacific islands and atolls.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Belt transect surveys conducted by scuba diver-observers along consecutively-placed 25m lines.

Time Range

2000 to 2009

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 23:00:37.338098; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Coral reef sites across the Pacific Ocean, including specific islands and atolls.