gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:25749 eng UTF8 dataset Oracle Database Northeast Fisheries Science Center (508)495-2000 166 Water Street Woods Hole MA 02543-1026 USA https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Website Website for this organization information 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday resourceProvider Smith, Brian 508-495-2020 166 Water Street Woods Hole MA 02543-1026 USA brian.smith@noaa.gov pointOfContact 2026-03-04T19:17:17 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) Benthic Habitat Database Benthic Habitat Database publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 25749 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25749 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information Jones, Patricia L 508-495-2116 508-295-2258 166 Water Street Woods Hole MA 02543-1026 USA patti.jones@noaa.gov originator tableDigital The NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center has, through the years, accumulated an extensive data base of qualitative and quantitative (wet weight and number per square meter) data on the composition, distribution and abundance (including a variety of environmental measurements) of the macrobenthic invertebrate fauna of the U.S.east coast continental shelf, slope and upper rise ranging from the mouth of the Bay of Fundy to Key West, Florida. Benthic fauna data has been collected from 1881 to the present by the National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratories at Woods Hole, MA (early years Bureau of Fisheries) and Sandy Hook, NJ (formerly with the Bureau of Sport Fisheries). Little data exists from 1881 to around 1955. After intensive sampling, data became sparse again after 1986. The data includes the work by Wigley and Theroux on the macrofauna of the Northeastern United States. Other major studies include Ocean Pulse, the Northeast Monitoring Program, New York Bight, 12 Mile Dumpsite, Long Island Sound and Raritan Bay surveys. Parameters included in these surveys include depth, sediment type, gear type, number, weight, family, class, genus, species name, and abundance. A total of 21,000 sample sites are included in this data set with 4,000 meters being the maximum depth sampled. Bottom temperature from MBTs and XBTs were measured from the 1960s to the present. The benthic data base and the invertebrate collection continue to be used by ecologists, systematists, and taxonomists in preparing environmental impact statements, characterizing the benthic fauna of selected sites for a host of specific purposes (e.g. mining, dumping, drilling, marine sanctuaries, etc.). completed Smith, Brian 508-495-2020 166 Water Street Woods Hole MA 02543-1026 USA brian.smith@noaa.gov pointOfContact Smith, Brian 508-495-2020 166 Water Street Woods Hole MA 02543-1026 USA brian.smith@noaa.gov custodian notPlanned benthic grab benthic habitat benthic mapping benthic taxonomy benthos biology bottom temperature macrobenthic invertebrate fauna marine sediment type theme 1953 - 1975 1966 - 1992 temporal Bay of Fundy Georges Bank Gulf of Maine Nantucket Shoals U.S.east coast continental shelf place benthic stratum DOC/NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC > Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Data Management Systems (DMS) project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Northeast Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Benthic Habitat Database [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25749. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: none otherRestrictions Use Constraints: Prior to use of these records in any analysis or report, the provenance of the original data must be acknowledged. Acknowledge the use of specific records from contributing NOAA databases and acknowledge the use of the OBIS-USA facility. Recognize the limitations of data in OBIS-USA. unclassified NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 25749 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/nefsc/dmp/pdf/25749.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference eng; US oceans Oracle 10g nova database -82 -49.167 24.16666666667 49.167 US east coast continental shelf, slope and upper rise ranging from the mouth of the Bay of Fundy to Key West, Florida The time frame for the Woods Hole data extends from 1881 to 1975; however, the majority of records are from 1953 to 1975 1880 1975 The time frame for the Sandy Hook data extends from 1966 to 1992 1966 1992 false eng false Data Table Data View Table: BENGEAR 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENCAT 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENSTA 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENCONV 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENHSTRATUM 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENSED 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENSTRATUM 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENTXN 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENVESS 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENCATALOG 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENCRUISE 2017-03-14 publication Table: BENPURPOSE 2017-03-14 publication View: BENV01 2017-03-14 publication View: BENV02 2017-03-14 publication View: BENV03 2017-03-14 publication Northeast Fisheries Science Center (508)495-2000 166 Water Street Woods Hole MA 02543-1026 USA https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/northeast-fisheries-science-center WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Northeast Fisheries Science Center Website NEFSC Home Page information 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday distributor https://storage.googleapis.com/nmfs_odp_nefsc/PARR/DMS/25749/25749_BenthicData.zip WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link 25749_BenthicData.zip Compressed Zipped Folder: 25749_BenthicData download dataset Completeness Report not applicable Interest in and studies relating to the benthic invertebrate fauna of the marine environment off the coasts of the United States formally began in a systematically organized manner with the establishment, by Spencer F. Baird, of the U.S. Fish Commission in 1871. Woods Hole, MA was chosen as the site of the first permanent laboratory in the U.S. solely devoted to the scientific study of all aspects of the marine environment. Collections and data gathered on the benthic fauna from those early days, for the most part, were distributed to many other institutions and museums through the intervening years. However, some material (specimens and data) were preserved at the Woods Hole laboratory and have been incorporated into the data base and Specimen Reference Collection. The vast majority of the Woods Hole data and specimens, however, are the result of activities conducted at the Woods Hole Laboratory, beginning in the mid 1950's, as part of studies relating to the feeding habits of commercially important demersal fishes. The perceived lack of ecologically oriented data on the composition, distribution, abundance, and ecological and environmental relationships of the benthic fauna making up the diet of these fishes led to the establishment of studies designed to provide the necessary information on those topics. When the USGS Continental Margin Program was initiated in the early 1960's in cooperation with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Woods Hole Fisheries Lab's Benthic Dynamics Investigation, then conducting similar studies, was invited to join the effort to provide biological expertise. The Woods Hole samples were obtained by a wide variety of means including hand collecting in the intertidal zone to the use of research vessels (17 different ones) on 208 separate cruises using 49 different types of sampling gear (ranging from dipnets to trawls, dredges, grab type devices etc.) at sea out to 4,000 meters depth.