A survey of the marine communities of Midway Atoll harbor and surrounding lagoon was conducted at 12 sites from September 5 to 9, 1998. The primary focus of these surveys was the invertebrates of the fouling communities present on artificial substrates. Occurrence of reef fishes at each site was also recorded, and algae was collected and identified from four stations. A total of 444 taxa were identified (47 algae, 316 invertebrates, and 81 fishes) from all stations. Approximately 250 invertebrate and 35 algae species are considered new records for Midway Atoll. All fishes observed were previously record form the atoll. Only three invertebrates identified in this survey are considered to be nonindigenous species in the Hawaiian Islands. One introduced bryozoan, Amathia distans, dominated the fouling communities at most stations where artificial substrates were available. Another introduced bryozoan, Schizoporella errata, was also common at the same stations. A non indigenous barnacle, Chthamalus proteus, recently introduced from the Caribbean, was common on pier pilings inside Midway harbor. No introduced invertebrates were present in natural habitats. The introduced snapper, Lutjanus kasmira, was also present along the reef outside the lagoon. The threat to the native reef community by established non-indigenous species is considered minimal. The presence of these introduced species at Midway, especially Chthamalus proteus, suggests that vectors of future, potentially more deleterious introductions exist. Transport of these introductions was most likely as fouling on ship bottoms, but other sources of introductions, such as ballast water carried in ships, should be guarded against to protect the relatively pristine reefs of Midway Atoll.

This report provides the results of the first quantitative survey of the coral reef communities in the vicinity of the Mokapu Ocean Outfall in Kailua Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. This survey, conducted in April and July 1998, focuses on benthic and fish community structure and is designed to detect community changes that may be mediated by the release of treated sewage through the outfall. The Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which has been operational since 1977, releases a little more than 13 mgd of secondary treated sewage through a 1.55-km-long discharge pipe at a depth of 32 m. If impacts are occurring to marine communities from a point-source discharge, their effects will be most evident in proximity to the source and less obvious with distance from the source. The sampling strategy used in this study focuses on quantifying the degree of development of marine communities adjacent to and at distances from the discharge source. This strategy should allow delineation of impacts if they are occurring. The results of this first survey indicate that the marine communities in the study area are diverse, with well-developed fish and coral components. This is particularly evident on the Mokapu Ocean Outfall diffuser (Transect T-1) where a high-biomass, diverse fish community occurs. This well-developed fish community is related to the shelter created by the diffuser pipe and basalt armor rock, as well as to the release of organic particles in the treated effluent which serve as a food resource for some fish species. The development of corals as measured in terms of live coverage in the diffuser pipe community is about half that found at the more distant sampling sites. However, a second sampling site (Transect T-2) located parallel to and 15 m away from the diffuser has coral coverage very similar to that found elsewhere in Kailua Bay. These data suggest that if the operation of the Kailua Regional WWTP is having an impact on marine communities, it is very limited in scope and scale.

This archive package contains data on species composition, density, size, and abundance for coral reef fish as well as coral counts, benthic cover, and macroalga cover in the West Hawaii Habitat Focus Area along the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii. Data provided in this collection were gathered as part of the NOAA Habitat Blueprint initiative with support from the Coral Reef Conservation Program. Data were collected primarily by The Nature Conservancy Hawaii. Data were collected in 2015 using the Belt Transect method. This is the first year in a series of monitoring efforts which have taken place in subsequent years to evaluate the resilience of coral reefs in the Focus Area. This dataset serves as a baseline as it was collected during the 2015 coral bleaching event. The dataset accompanies the NOAA technical report Maynard et al. 2016.

Twelve quadrats were sampled along 2 consecutively-placed, 25m transect lines as part of Rapid Ecological Assessments conducted at 9 sites at Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in July and August, 2003 from the NOAA vessel Oscar Elton Sette (OES03-06). Raw survey data included genus presence and relative abundance, and voucher specimens. Detailed taxonomic analyses of voucher specimens are presented.

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20100904 to 20100929, reef fish assessment surveys were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HA1007 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands region by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, 25 REA sites were surveyed at Lisianski in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands region. At each REA site, fish biologists entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (~700 m^2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution REA survey to assess and monitor species diversity, size distribution, and abundance of fish in shallow-water hard-bottom (less than 30 m) habitats. Reef fish assessment surveys were focused on cataloging the diversity (species richness), abundance (numeric density) and biomass (fish mass per unit area) of diurnally active reef fish assemblages. The stationary point count (SPC) method was used to quantify reef fish species. Two divers lay out a 30 m transect line, and position themselves at the 7.5 and 22.5 meter marks. The SPC biologist then records estimated size and abundance of all fish within a visually estimated 15-m diameter cylinder centered on the stationary diver (7.5-m radius, total area ~ 177m^2 per cylinder). The diver first spends 5 minutes identifying all fish species in the cylindrical area, then proceeds to count and estimate size (total length) for each in a series of "instantaneous" point counts or sweeps of the cylinder. Fish were identified at the species level, wherever possible. All reef-associated fish, including those in the water column, were surveyed. The survey time for each stationary point count survey was approximately 20 min and generally four stationary point count surveys (two per diver) were conducted at each fish REA site. After completing REA surveys, divers noted the presence, at the survey site, of any unusual fish species not counted during SPC counts, in order to facilitate species lists per location.

The marine biota of Johnston atoll was surveyed for nonindigenous species in June, 2000 with observations and collections made by investigators using Scuba. Eleven stations were surveyed, including sites at the Johnston Island pier, the north and south lagoon and the outer reef slope. A total of 668 taxa were determined, with 462 of these identified to species. Data are provided as derived from the report: 2001-001. Coles, S.L., R.C. DeFelice & D. Minton. 2001. Marine species survey of Johnston Atoll, central Pacific Ocean, June 2000. Report to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Honolulu. Bishop Museum Technical Report 19: iv + 56 pp. (Presently found online at: http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pdf/johnstonreport.pdf).

These reports provide the results of nine years (1990-98) of an annual quantitative monitoring of shallow marine communities inshore of the Sand Island Ocean Outfall, Oahu, Hawaii. This monitoring effort focuses on benthic and fish community structure and is designed to detect changes in these communities. Marine communities offshore of Honolulu have received considerable perturbation over the last 100 years. Dumping of raw sewage in shallow water, which occurred from 1955 to 1977, was halted in 1978; however, point and nonpoint sources of pollution from both urban activities and industry continue. All of these disturbances may serve to obscure any impacts that may be caused by treated effluent discharged from the deep-ocean outfall. The marine communities show a considerable range in development that is probably related to historical impacts. Stations have been located to take advantage of these gradients. Analysis of the nine years of data showed that there has been no statistically significant change in any of the biological parameters measured in this study other than for the mean number of invertebrate species and numbers of individual invertebrates encountered per transect. In these cases the data for 1998 showed significantly greater numbers of species and individuals over other years. These changes are probably the result of higher than usual counts of the Christmas tree worm Spirobranchus giganteus corniculatus, as well as just more invertebrate species present at most stations.

In response to declines in reef fishes, the Hawaii state legislature created the West Hawaii Regional Fishery Management Area in 1998 to improve fishery resources (Act 306). The West Hawaii Aquarium Project (WHAP) was funded by the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative to monitor to fish populations and quantify the habitats in this region. This dataset consists of an MS Access relational database of all monitoring data from 1999-2003. The relational database of this dataset includes some of the data held in NODC Accession 0000938, however, it would be best to examine each accession carefully. The relational database of this accession has fewer tables and less parameters. During initial funding under CRAMP in 1998-99, 23 permanent study sites were established positioned in all of the proposed Fish Replenishment Areas (FRAs) as well as eight sites where fish collecting is know to occur ("impact"), and six managed areas where aquarium fish collection is prohibited (three Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCDs) and three FMAs or "control"). Initial surveys confirm that aquarium fish collecting impacts are significant but vary along the coastline.

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20100904 to 20100929, reef fish assessment surveys were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HA1007 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands region by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, 27 REA sites were surveyed at French Frigate in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands region. At each REA site, fish biologists entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (~700 m^2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution REA survey to assess and monitor species diversity, size distribution, and abundance of fish in shallow-water hard-bottom (less than 30 m) habitats. Reef fish assessment surveys were focused on cataloging the diversity (species richness), abundance (numeric density) and biomass (fish mass per unit area) of diurnally active reef fish assemblages. The stationary point count (SPC) method was used to quantify reef fish species. Two divers lay out a 30 m transect line, and position themselves at the 7.5 and 22.5 meter marks. The SPC biologist then records estimated size and abundance of all fish within a visually estimated 15-m diameter cylinder centered on the stationary diver (7.5-m radius, total area ~ 177m^2 per cylinder). The diver first spends 5 minutes identifying all fish species in the cylindrical area, then proceeds to count and estimate size (total length) for each in a series of "instantaneous" point counts or sweeps of the cylinder. Fish were identified at the species level, wherever possible. All reef-associated fish, including those in the water column, were surveyed. The survey time for each stationary point count survey was approximately 20 min and generally four stationary point count surveys (two per diver) were conducted at each fish REA site. After completing REA surveys, divers noted the presence, at the survey site, of any unusual fish species not counted during SPC counts, in order to facilitate species lists per location.