Realm: Marine
Climate: Tropical
Biome: Tropical seas
Central latitude: 18.308752
Central longitude: -64.748777
Duration: 10 years, from 2001 to 2010

28123 records

254 distinct species

Across the time series Sparisoma aurofrenatum is the most frequently occurring species

Citation(s):

"St. John, USVI Fish Assessment and Monitoring Data (2002 - Present)", (2007) Silver Spring, MD Publisher: NOAAs Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)-National Ocean Service (NOS)-National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)-Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA)-Biogeography Team. Available at: http://www.iobis.org/mapper/?dataset=1672, accessed 2012.

Methods

The basis for this work is the nearshore benthic habitats maps (less than 100 ft depth) created by NOAAs Biogeography Program in 2001 and NOS bathymetry models. Using ArcView GIS software. the digitized habitat maps are stratified 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 or seagrass area. 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. BT 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 locations. Unit of abundance = IndCountInt, Unit of biomass = NA