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).

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 recorded from 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.

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.

A baseline survey of the marine biota of the island of Lanai was conducted in May 2005. This was first comprehensive study that has been made on this island for all components of its marine nearshore community. Samples and observations were taken at seven sites around the island, and all macroalgae, macroinvertebrates and fish species collected or observed were recorded. On-site observations without collections were made at two other sites. Identified species were designated as native, nonindigenous (introduced) or cryptogenic (neither demonstrably native nor introduced) according to criteria used for previous introduced species surveys in Hawaii. A total of 294 taxa were observed or identified from collected specimens, which included 16 introduced or cryptogenic species and three new reports for the Hawaiian Islands. The 16 introduced and cryptogenic species comprised 5.4% of the total identified taxa and included seven cnidarians, one polychaete, two pericards, one decapod, one bryozoan, two ascidians and three fish. By station, the introduced/cryptogenic component ranged 3 to 7 species and 3.8% to 6.8% of the total biota. The stations included two sites at or near Kaumalapau Harbor, Lanai's principal harbor for inter-island shipping. The percent component values are similar to those that have been determined on ocean-exposed reef areas elsewhere in the Hawaiian Islands but the harbor value is well below the values in other Hawaiian harbors that are more isolated from open ocean circulation than Kaumalapau Harbor. No invasive introduced algae and only two invasive introduced inverterbrates were found on the surveys. These were a single colony of the octocoral Carijoa riisei in the vicinity of Cathedrals between Manele Bay and Harbor, and a single stomatopod Gonodactylaceous falcatus at the site closest to Manele Harbor.

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 12 September - 12 October 2008, reef fish assessment surveys were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HI0809 in the NW Hawaiian Islands at biennial intervals by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, 38 REA sites were surveyed at Pearl And Hermes Atoll in the NW Hawaiian Islands. At the specific REA sites, fish biologists along with coral biologists, algal biologists and marine invertebrate zoologist entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (~300 m2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution REA survey to assess and monitor species composition, abundance, percent cover, size distribution, diversity, and general health of fish, corals, macro-invertebrates, and algae in shallow-water (< 35 m) habitats. Reef fish assessment surveys were focused on cataloging the diversity (species richness), abundance (numeric density [# fish 100 m-2] and biomass density [kg 100 m-2]) of diurnally active reef fish assemblages. Three complementary noninvasive underwater survey methods were used, including belt-transect, stationary point count, and roving-diver surveys. For all methods, fish were identified at the species level, when possible, and assigned to a size bin ranging from 1 to 200 cm based on a visual estimate of total fish length. Belt-transect (BLT) surveys were used to quantify the entire diurnal fish community (all size classes). In belt-transect surveys, two fish biologists swam side-by-side along three consecutively-placed, 25m transect lines. The BLT team swam each transect two times. During the initial swim-out, each fish diver recorded all fish larger than 20 cm observed within a 4-m wide belt perpendicular to their respective side of the transect (200 m2 area per line, 100 m2 per diver). On the return swim, each fish diver recorded all fish less than 20 cm observed within a 2-m wide belt (100 m2 area per line, 50 m2 per diver). The survey of large fish took approximately 5 min to complete while the survey of smaller fish took about 10 min to complete. All reef-associated fish, including those in the water column (including planktivores), were counted. Any coastal pelagic species (e.g., clupeids [sardines], belonids [beakfish], antherinids [silversides]) seen near the surface were not recorded. The stationary point count (SPC) method were used to quantify larger, more mobile reef fish species that can be missed on belt-transect surveys. In stationary point count survey, a fish biologist swam approximately 15 m away from a transect line concurrently being surveyed by the other two BLT fish biologists. The SPC biologist then recorded all fish greater than 25 cm in length that passed within a visually estimated 20-m diameter cylinder centered on the diver's fixed position (10-m radius, total area = 314 m2). The survey time for each stationary point count survey was 5 min and a total of four stationary point count surveys were conducted at each REA site. Roving-diver surveys were followed belt-transect and stationary point count surveys. As diver bottom time permitted, the fish assessment team conducted random swim surveys throughout the REA site area, recording, to the species level or the lowest recognizable taxon, the presence of reef fish not encountered during previous methods.

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20101107 to 20101208, reef fish assessment surveys were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), in the Main Hawaiian Islands region by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). 25 REA sites were surveyed at Oahu in the Main 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 State of Hawaii DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) DAR (Division of Aquatic Resources) marine monitoring team conducted surveys for fish and large mobile invertebrates along the West Hawaii coastline. Data were recorded along 5x25 meter transects at random sites going as far south as Manuka and as far North as Upolu Point. Data collection for one transect was completed at each site. Data are provided as individual observations noting species, quantity, and size of fish and species and quantity of invertebrates.

The State of Hawaii DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) DAR (Division of Aquatic Resources) marine monitoring team conducted surveys for fish and large mobile invertebrates along the West Hawaii coastline. Data were recorded along 5x25 meter transects at random sites going as far south as Manuka and as far North as Upolu Point. Data collection for one transect was completed at each site. Data are provided as individual observations noting species, quantity, and size of fish and species and quantity of invertebrates.

Belt transects along 3 consecutively-placed, 25m transect lines were surveyed as part of Rapid Ecological Assessments conducted at 12 sites at Midway Atoll in September,2002 NOAA vessel Townsend Cromwell (TC02-07). Raw survey data included species level abundance estimates.