Photoquadrat benthic images were collected within the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area (KHFMA) in West Maui by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD; formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) for quantifying benthic composition. This dataset is only the imagery from 2024 missions in March and October; the benthic cover data produced is part of a separate accession that can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0307662. Photo-transects were taken at each site, with 25 photographs taken at 1m intervals. Benthic habitat imagery were quantitatively analyzed for each site using a web-based annotation tool called CoralNet where 15 points were analyzed per photograph. The images provided here can be linked to the benthic composition data produced by site name; the accompanying metadata file provided describes the sites analyzed.

This dataset summarises benthic surveys in Yanyuwa Sea Country into 3 GIS shapefiles. (1) A point (site) shapefile describes seagrass presence/absence at 3248 sites surveyed by small vessel and helicopter. (2) The meadow shapefile describes attributes of 180 intertidal seagrass meadows. (3) The interpolation GeoTiff describes variation in seagrass biomass across the seagrass meadows. This project is a partnership between li-Anthawirriyarra rangers, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, and Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Indigenous Corporation to map the intertidal habitats of the Yanyuwa Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), an area of profound importance to the Marra and Yanyuwa people and to the marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Benthic habitat maps of Yanyuwa Country were produced, with a focus on seagrass. Report reference: Groom R, Carter A, Collier C, Firby L, Evans S, Barrett S, Hoffmann L, van de Wetering C, Shepherd L, Evans S, Anderson S. (2023) Mapping Critical Habitat in Yanyuwa Sea Country. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. Charles Darwin University, pp. 40. Available at: https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NESP-MaC-Hub-Project-1.12_Groom-et-al-FINAL-REPORT.pdf Methods: The sampling methods used to study, describe and monitor seagrass meadows were developed by the TropWATER Seagrass Group and tailored to the location and habitat surveyed; these are described in detail in the relevant publications (https://research.jcu.edu.au/tropwater). Geographic Information System (GIS) All survey data were entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) developed for Torres Strait using ArcGIS 10.8. Rectified colour satellite imagery of Yanyuwa Sea Country (Source: Allen Coral Atlas and ESRI), field notes and aerial photographs taken from the helicopter during surveys were used to identify geographical features, such as reef tops, channels and deep-water drop-offs, to assist in determining seagrass meadow boundaries. Three GIS layers were created to describe spatial features of the region: a site layer, seagrass meadow layer, and a seagrass biomass interpolation layer. Seagrass site layer This layer contains information on data collected at assessment sites. This layer includes: 1. Temporal survey details – Survey date; 2. Spatial position - Latitude/longitude; 3. Survey location; 4. Seagrass information including presence/absence of seagrass, above-ground biomass (total and for each species), percent cover of seagrass at each site and whether individual species were present/absent at a site; 5. Benthic macro-invertebrate information including the percent cover of hard coral, soft coral, sponges and other benthic macro invertebrates (e.g. ascidian, clam) at a site; 6. Algae information including percent cover of algae at a site and percent contribution of algae functional groups to algae cover at a site; 7. Open substrate – the percent cover of the site that had no flora or habitat forming benthic invertebrates present; 8. Dominant sediment type - Sediment type based on grain size visual assessment or deck descriptions. 9. Survey method and vessel 10. Relevant comments and presence/absence of megafauna and animals of interest (dugong, turtle, dolphin, evidence of dugong feeding trails); 11. Data custodians. Seagrass meadow layer Seagrass presence/absence site data, mapping sites, field notes, and satellite imagery were used to construct meadow boundaries in ArcGIS®. The meadow (polygon) layer provides summary information for all sites within each seagrass meadow, including: 1. Temporal survey details – Survey month and year as individual columns and the survey date (the date range the survey took place); 2. Spatial survey details – Survey location, meadow identification number that identifies the reef name and the meadow number. This allows individual meadows to be compared among years; 3. Survey method; 4. Meadow depth for subtidal meadows. Intertidal: meadow

This dataset summarises benthic surveys in Marra Sea Country, including the Limmen Marine Park (Commonwealth) and Limmen Bight Marine Park (Northern Territory) into 4 GIS shapefiles. (1) A point (site) shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence, (b) seagrass species composition, (c) algae cover and (d) benthic macro-invertebrate cover at n=2018 sites surveyed by small vessel and helicopter. (2) A point (site) shapefile describes deep-water (a) seagrass presence/absence, (b) seagrass species composition, (c) algae cover and (d) benthic macro-invertebrate cover at 54 sites surveyed by benthic towed camera and sled net. (3) The meadow shapefile describes attributes of 69 seagrass meadows. (4) The interpolation shapefile describes variation in seagrass biomass across the seagrass meadows. The full report is: Collier C.J., Carter A., Shepherd L., van de Wetering C., Coles R., Evans S., Barrett D., Willan R.C., Groom R. (2022) Benthic habitats of Marra Sea Country - Gulf of Carpentaria. Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Marra land and sea country includes coastal waters in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory (NT). The Limmen Marine Park (Commonwealth Government) and the Limmen Bight Marine Park (NT Government) are in Marra country. The co-management aspirations identified within the two Marine Park Plans of Management and the Marra Healthy Country Plan include a need to improve information on habitats and key species because they have not been previously mapped. Methods: The sampling methods used to study, describe and monitor seagrass meadows were developed by the TropWATER Seagrass Group and tailored to the location and habitat surveyed; these are described in detail in the relevant publications (https://research.jcu.edu.au/tropwater). Geographic Information System (GIS) All survey data were entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) developed for Torres Strait using ArcGIS 10.8. Rectified colour satellite imagery of Limmen Bight (Source: Allen Coral Atlas and ESRI), field notes and aerial photographs taken from the helicopter during surveys were used to identify geographical features, such as reef tops, channels and deep-water drop-offs, to assist in determining seagrass meadow boundaries. Four GIS layers were created to describe spatial features of the region: a site layer, seagrass meadow layer, and seagrass biomass interpolation layer. Seagrass site layers Two layers were produced because of additional columns/details on benthic invertebrates that are included in the deep-water shapefile. These layers contains information on data collected at assessment sites and includes: 1. Temporal survey details – Survey date; 2. Spatial position - Latitude/longitude; 3. Survey location; 4. Seagrass information including presence/absence of seagrass, above-ground biomass (total and for each species), percent cover of seagrass at each site and whether individual species were present/absent at a site; 5. Benthic macro-invertebrate information including the percent cover of hard coral, soft coral, sponges and other benthic macro invertebrates (e.g. ascidian, clam) at a site; 6. Algae information including percent cover of algae at a site and percent contribution of algae functional groups to algae cover at a site; 7. Open substrate – the percent cover of the site that had no flora or habitat forming benthic invertebrates present; 8. Dominant sediment type - Sediment type based on grain size visual assessment or deck descriptions. 9. Survey method and vessel 10. Relevant comments and presence/absence of megafauna and animals of interest (sea cucumber, dugong, turtle, dolphin, evidence of dugong feeding trails); 11. Data custodians. Seagrass meadow layer Seagrass presence/absence site data, mapping sites, field notes, and satellite imagery were used to construct meadow boundaries in ArcGIS®. The meadow (polygon) layer provides summary information for all sites within each seagrass meadow, including: 1.

This data package includes benthic imagery, raw benthic cover, mean benthic cover, and mean macroalgae cover data of Nu'uuli Pala Lagoon and Backreef in American Samoa in 2024, produced from the benthic imagery analysis performed by the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) of the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) and funded by the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). Benthic imagery was collected at 20 randomly-selected sites during coral demographic surveys by the NOAA ESD during the 2024 fly-in mission to American Samoa (MP2502). After processing and sorting site photos, imagery was qualitatively analyzed using the web-based CoralNet image annotation tool. CoralNet projects random points on each image, and the benthic elements falling directly underneath each point are identified by trained scientists. Data from benthic surveys of Nu'uuli Pala Lagoon and Backreef establishes a comprehensive biological baseline for land-based sources of pollution impacts on benthic composition and coral demography. These efforts feed into the higher-level CRCP objectives by establishing an in-situ tracking system to assess the effects of management and mitigation strategies and activities in the target watersheds to reduce land-based sources of pollution impacts on coral reefs. This data was funded by CRCP Project #31454 titled "Develop monitoring capacity of American Samoan jurisdictional partners and observing LBSP impacts on coral reefs".

Point data collected from video drops identifying benthic habitats such as seagrass, macroalgae and reef, collected during field work in 2007 to 2011. Used to support the Benthic Habitat Mapping project undertaken by DENR to map the nearshore benthic habitats of South Australia.