Pacific Reef Fish Surveys via Towed-diver Method, 2000-2012

NOAA's Coral Reef Ecosystem Program collected visual estimates of large-bodied fishes across U.S. Pacific reefs from 2000 to 2012. Surveys used a towed-diver method, recording fish species, counts, and sizes within a 5-meter transect over approximately 2-3 km of habitat per dive. The data are part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program and are archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Analyzing population trends of large-bodied reef fish based on species and count data.
• Mapping fish biodiversity across Pacific island regions based on geographic survey locations.
• Studying the relationship between reef habitat and fish assemblages based on towed-diver survey methodology.
• Assessing the effectiveness of long-term coral reef monitoring programs based on the 12-year time span.

Strengths

• Data collection spans 12 years (2000-2012), providing a long-term perspective.
• Surveys cover multiple U.S.-affiliated Pacific regions, including Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos.
• Methodology is standardized, with observations recorded in 5-minute segments over consistent transects.

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 the surveyed U.S.-affiliated regions.

Provenance

Source

NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Coral Reef Ecosystem Program

Collection Method

Towed-diver surveys following the ~15-m depth contour, with visual observations recorded by 5-min segment.

Time Range

2000 to 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 23:01:24.240821; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas