Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Project
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Quick Link to Reef Fish Database
Objectives
The goals and objectives of this project are:
- To spatially characterize and monitor the
distribution, abundance, and size of both reef fishes
and macro-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema);
- To relate this information to in-situ data
collected on water quality and associated habitat parameters;
- To use this information to establish the
knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions
in a spatial setting;
- To establish the efficacy of those management
decisions; and
- To work with the National Coral Reef Monitoring
Program to develop data collection standards and easily
implemented methodologies for transference to other agencies
and to work toward standardizing data collection throughout
the US states and territories.
Project Summary
To achieve the above objectives, the CCMA's Biogeography Branch (BB) has been working since 2000 in the US Virgin Islands
and Puerto Rico. It is critical, with recent changes in management
at both locations (e.g. implementation of MPAs) as well as
proposed changes (e.g. zoning to manage multiple human uses)
that action is taken now to accurately describe and characterize
the fish/macro-invertebrate populations in these areas. It is also important
that BB work closely with the individuals responsible for recommending and
implementing these management strategies. Recognizing this, BB has been collaborating
with partners at the University of Puerto Rico, National Park Service, US
Geological Survey and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural
Resources.
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 therefore, 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 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 associated water quality and habitat information is then
quantified following standardized protocols see methodology
link below) . By relating the data collected in the field back
to the habitat maps and bathymetric models, BB 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. Armed with the knowledge of where "hot
spots" of species richness and diversity are likely to
occur in the seascape, the BB is in a unique position to answer
questions about the efficacy of marine zoning strategies (e.g.
placement of no fishing, anchoring, or snorkeling locations),
and what locations are most suitable for establishing MPAs.
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.
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| Photo Credits: Biogeography Branch |
Products
Current/Completed -
Reports and Publications
- Christensen, J.D., C. Jeffrey, M.E. Monaco, C. Caldow, M.S. Kendall, and R.S. Appledoorn. 2003. Cross-shelf
habitat utilization patterns of reef fishes in southwestern
Puerto Rico. Gulf and Caribbean Research 14: 9-27.
- Clark, R., M.E. Monaco, R.S. Appeldoorn, and B. Roque. 2005. Fish habitat utilization in a Puerto Rico coral reef ecosystem. Pages 467-486 in (R.L. Creswell, Ed.) Proc. 56th Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, British Virgin Islands, November 2003.
- Kendall, M.S., J.D. Christensen, C. Caldow,
M. Coyne, C. Jeffrey, M. Monaco, W. Morrison, and Z.
Hillis-Starr. 2004. The influence of bottom type and shelf
position on biodiversity of tropical fish inside a recently
enlarged marine reserve. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and
Freshwater Ecosystems 14: 113-132.
- Kendall, M.S., J.D. Christensen, and Z. Hillis-Starr.
2003. Multi-scale data used to analyze the spatial
distribution of French grunts, Haemulon flavolineatum, relative
to hard and soft bottom in a benthic landscape. Environmental
Biology of Fishes 66: 19-26.
- Monaco, M.E., J.D. Christensen, A.M. Friedlander,
M.S. Kendall, and C. Caldow. 2003. Quantifying habitat
utilization patterns of U.S. Caribbean and Hawaii
reef fish to define marine protected area boundaries: the
coupling of GIS and ecology. In Proc. 13th Biennial Coastal
Zone Conference, Baltimore, MD, July 13-17, 2003. NOAA/CSC/20322-CD.
CD-ROM. Charleston, SC: NOAA Coastal Services Center. pdf Link
- Monaco, M.E., A.M. Friedlander, C. Caldow, J.D. Christensen, J. Beets, Jeffrey Miller, C. Rogers, and R. Boulon. (Accepted)
Characterizing Reef Fish Populations and Habitats within
and Outside the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument:
A Lesson in MPA Design.
- Pittman SJ, Christensen J, Caldow C, Menza C & Monaco M (2007a) Predictive mapping
of fish species richness across shallow-water seascapes of the U.S. Caribbean.
Ecological Modelling 204, 9-21.
- Pittman, S.J., C. Caldow, S. Davidson Hile, and M.E. Monaco. 2006. Explaining patterns in abundance of juvenile fish using Caribbean mangroves: a multi-scale seascape approach. First International Symposium on Mangroves as Fish Habitat. Poster
Presentation, Miami, Florida, April 19-21, 2006. Get the PDF
- Pittman, S.J., S.D. Hile, C.F.G. Jeffrey, C. Caldow, M.S. Kendall, M.E. Monaco, and Z. Hillis-Starr. 2008. Fish assemblages and benthic habitats of Buck Island Reef National Monument (St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) and the surrounding seascape: A characterization of spatial and temporal patterns. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 71. Silver Spring, MD. 96 pp. Get the PDF
- Pittman SJ, Hile SD, Caldow, C & Monaco ME (2007b) Using seascape types to explain the
spatial patterns of fish using mangroves in Puerto Rico. Marine Ecology Progress Series 348,
273-284.
- Trip Summary Reports
- St. John, USVI: July 2005, July 2006, July 2007
- St. Croix, USVI: March 2005, October 2005, April 2006, October 2006, October 2007
- Puerto Rico: January 2006, January 2007, August 2007, January 2008
Data
Tools
Partners
Relevant Links
Time Frame
Ongoing
For More Information
Project Manager: Kimberly Woody
1305 East West Highway
SSMC-IV, N/SCI-1
Silver Spring , MD 20910
301-713-3028
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