gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39223 eng UTF8 dataset National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science resourceProvider NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov pointOfContact 2025-05-15T19:16:11 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) Integrated ecosystem assessment of Vieques, Puerto Rico Fish Assessment and Monitoring Data VQS_fish_metadata_0807 2007-06 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 39223 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39223 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information Jeffrey, Chris chris.jeffrey@noaa.gov principalInvestigator https://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/ecosystems/coralreef/vieques/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Online Resource download https://www8.nos.noaa.gov/bpdmWeb/queryMain.aspx WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Online Resource download This fish and benthic composition database is the result of a multifaceted effort described below.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Biogeography Branch, in consultation with NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (ORandR) and other local and regional experts, is conducting an ecological characterization of the marine ecosystem around Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. The assessment will support effective management and conservation of marine resources in Vieques as a whole. To date a spatially comprehensive assessment of coral reef and hardbottom habitat around Vieques has been lacking. To fill this gap, the Biogeography Branch is expanding long term monitoring efforts to Vieques to collect detailed information about the benthic habitats, fish, and invertebrate communities. Spatially comprehensive information on reefs and hardbottom is vital to future management of the marine resources around Vieques. The collected data will be used to quantify the abundance and spatial distribution of fish, corals, and benthic invertebrates on hardbottom habitats around Vieques. Further, with regular monitoring, changes in the composition and condition of Vieques reefs over time can be detected.Data is collected using established protocols and monitoring efforts consistent with NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program and the Biogeography Branch's long-term monitoring efforts in southwest Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands since 2000 and 2001, respectively. The intent of this work is: 1) To spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance, and size of both reef fishes and macro-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema); 2) To relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated benthic composition parameters; and 3) To use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting. It is critical, with recent changes in land and maritime use in Vieques (i.e., transfer of former Navy lands to the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Municipality in Vieques, and the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust) that action is taken now to accurately describe and characterize the fish/macro-invertebrate populations in these areas.To quantify patterns of spatial distribution and make meaningful interpretations, we must first have knowledge of the underlying variables determining species distribution. The basis for this work, is the nearshore benthic habitats maps (less than 100 ft depth) created by NOAA's Biogeography Program in 2001 and NOS' bathymetry models. Using ArcView GIS software, the digitized habitat maps are used to select reef/hardbottom habitat that is further stratified by proximity to former land use and geographic side of the island (i.e., north vs. south) to select sampling stations. Sites are randomly selected within these strata to ensure coverage of the entire study region and not just a particular reef. At each site, fish, macro-invertebrates, and benthic composition information is then quantified following standardized protocols. By relating the data collected in the field back to the habitat maps and bathymetric models, the Biogeography Branch is able to model and map species level and community level information. These protocols are standardized throughout the US Caribbean to enable quantification and comparison of reef fish abundance and distribution trends between Vieques and the other locations. Knowledge of the current status of fish/macro-invertebrate communities coupled with longer term monitoring will enable evaluation of management efficacy, thus it is essential to future management actions. 1) To spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance, and size of both reef fishes and macro-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema); 2) To relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated benthic composition parameters; and 3) To use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting. This is a cooperative effort between NOAA's Biogeography Branch and NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration underDevelopment NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov pointOfContact NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov custodian one time only Numeric Data Sets > Biology theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Species richness EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Monitoring and assessment EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Reef fish census > Belt transect EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Reef fish census > Linear transect EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish > Fish Census EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Fish > Fish assemblages theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus Environmental Monitoring theme NOS Data Explorer Topic Category COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Puerto Rico > Vieques > Vieques Island (18N065W0002) OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea /North Atlantic Ocean > Puerto Rico > Vieques Island >Vieques Island (18N065W0002) place CoRIS Place Thesaurus coral reef fishes theme DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS > National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean 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 US_CARIB project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, [Date of Access]: Integrated ecosystem assessment of Vieques, Puerto Rico Fish Assessment and Monitoring Data [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39223. 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: Please reference NOAA/NCCOS/CCMA/Biogeography Branch when utilizing these data in a report or peer reviewed publication. Additionally, knowledge of how this dataset has been of use and which organizations are utilizing it is of great benefit for ensuring this information continues to meet the needs of the management and research communities.Therefore, it is requested but not mandatory, that any user of this data supply this information to the Program Manager: Laurie Bauer (Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov). otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials. unclassified NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 39223 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/nccos/dmp/pdf/39223.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 biota environment oceans -65.62 -65.27 18.07 18.19 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2007-05-01 This work is being conducted in collaboration with NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration. false eng false NOAA/NCCOS/CCMA/Biogeography Branch Text (Tab Delimited) NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov distributor https://www8.nos.noaa.gov/bpdmWeb/queryMain.aspx WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link https://www8.nos.noaa.gov/bpdmWeb/queryMain.aspx Downloadable data download dataset Completeness Report These data consists of multiple fish community surveys across all nearshore hardbottom around Vieques, Puerto Rico. Sites were randomly selected and stratified by proximity to former land use using NOAA's benthic habitat maps of Puerto Rico (hardbottom only). Conceptual Consistency Not applicable Ten strata were developed to encompass two criteria. Five former land use zones were defined, from west to east, as the Naval Ammunition Facility (aka Naval Ammunition Support Detachment), the Civilian Area (CA), the Vieques Naval Training Range (VNTR, includes the Eastern Maneuver Area [EMA] and western portion of the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility [AFWTF]), the Live Impact Area (LIA), and the Punta Este Conservation Zone (PECZ). The water out to 3 nm off of the land use boundaries was designated as the survey area for a total area of approximately 500 square kilometers. Each zone was further subdivided into north and south regions for a total of ten strata. The number of sites allocated to each strata was dependent on the amount of hardbottom within the strata, and sites were randomly selected within each strata. Using a handheld GPS unit, the boat captain navigates to previously selected sites. A weighted buoy is dropped to mark any site where "live boating" is necessary. Once on site, divers are deployed and maintain contact with each other throughout the entire census. One diver is responsible for collecting data on the fish communities utilizing the belt transect visual census technique. The belt transect diver obtains a random compass heading prior to entering the water and records the compass bearing (0-360o) on the data sheet. On site, no attempt to avoid structural features within a habitat such as a pile of conch shells, a sand patch or a tire in a seagrass or sand area should be made as these features affect fish communities and are "real" features of the habitats. Visibility at each site must be sufficient to allow for identification of fish at a minimum of 2m away. Once reasonable visibility is ascertained, the diver attaches a tape measure to the substrate and allows it to roll out as progress is made along the chosen compass heading for a distance of 25m. The transect should take 15 minutes regardless of habitat type or number of animals present. This allows more mobile animals the opportunity to swim through the transect, and standardizes the samples collected to allow for comparisons. As the tape rolls out at a relatively constant speed, the diver records all fish species to the lowest taxonomic level possible that come within 2m of either side of the transect. Each survey is 100m2 in area (25m length X 4m width). To decrease the total time spent writing, four letter codes are used that consist of the first two letters of the genus name followed by the first two letters of the species name. In the rare case that two species have the same four-letter code, letters are added to the species name until a difference occurs. If the fish can only be identified to the family or genus level then this is all that is recorded. If the fish cannot be identified to the family level then no entry is necessary. The number of individuals per species is tallied in 5cm size class increments up to 35cm using visual estimation of fork length. If an individual is greater than 35cm, then an estimate of the actual fork length is recorded. (continued...) 2007-05-01T00:00:00 (continued from above) Prior to 2002, fork lengths of fish greater than 35 cm were not always recorded. Although the habitat should not be altered in any manner by lifting or moving structure, the observer should record fish seen in holes, under ledges and in the water column. To identify, enumerate, or locate new individuals a diver may move off the centerline of the transect as long as they stay within the 4m transect width and do not look back along area already covered. The diver is allowed to look forward toward the end of the transect for the distance left along the transect (i.e. if the diver is at meter 15, he can look 10 meters distant, but if he is at meter 23, he can only look 2 meters ahead). In mangrove areas the diver swims close to the prop roots and looks as far into the mangroves as possible, up to 2m and then out to the edge of the mangrove overhang such that the total area surveyed is still 100m2. In this case, some of the survey may necessarily fall on seagrass habitat. This is allowed as the mangrove habitat is defined as a transition zone habitat. This diver also takes photos of fishes to document color patterns and phases of the different species. (end continuation) 2007-05-01T00:00:00