The socioeconomic survey data in this collection come from surveys of adult residents in Hawaii conducted as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Surveys are conducted for a random stratified sample of households on a recurring basis every 5-7 years. These data are collected to record human dimensions information and socioeconomic characteristics of Hawaii's coral reef adjacent populations such as human use patterns, management support/opposition, and knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of coral reefs/coral reef management. Because these surveys are conducted on a recurring basis with the same methods it is possible to use these data to identify changes over time. This dataset contains primary data from all socioeconomic monitoring cycles in Hawaii.

This dataset is a compilation and synthesis of secondary data in Hawaii corresponding to the following topics: Human population changes near coral reefs, Economic impact of coral reef fishing to jurisdiction, Economic impact of dive/snorkel tourism to jurisdiction, Community well-being, Physical infrastructure, and Governance. Data are collected from a variety of publicly available sources to supplement primary data collected through resident surveys. These secondary data are collected to address topics outside the scope of NCRMP resident surveys, and are collected on an annual basis throughout the US coral reef jurisdictions. The primary data that were collected as part of this study in Hawaii are available in NCEI Accession 0161545.

The socioeconomic survey data in this collection come from surveys of adult residents in American Samoa conducted as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Surveys are conducted on a recurring basis every 5-7 years for a random stratified sample of households. These data are collected to record human dimensions information and socioeconomic characteristics of American Samoa's coral reef adjacent populations such as human use patterns, management support/opposition, and knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of coral reefs/coral reef management. Because these surveys are conducted on a recurring basis with the same methods it is possible to use these data to identify changes over time. This dataset contains primary data from all socioeconomic monitoring cycles in American Samoa.

The socioeconomic survey data in this collection come from surveys of adult residents in Guam conducted as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Surveys are conducted for a random stratified sample of households on the island of Guam on a recurring basis every 5-7 years. These data are collected to record human dimensions information and socioeconomic characteristics of Guam’s coral reef adjacent populations such as human use patterns, management support/opposition, and knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of coral reefs/coral reef management. Because these surveys are conducted on a recurring basis with the same methods it is possible to use these data to identify changes over time. This dataset contains primary data from all socioeconomic monitoring cycles in Guam.

The socioeconomic survey data in this collection come from surveys of adult residents in the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) conducted as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Surveys are conducted for a random stratified sample of households on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota on a recurring basis every 5-7 years. These data are collected to record human dimensions information and socioeconomic characteristics of the CNMI's coral reef adjacent populations such as human use patterns, management support/opposition, and knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of coral reefs/coral reef management. Because these surveys are conducted on a recurring basis with the same methods it is possible to use these data to identify changes over time. This dataset contains primary data from all socioeconomic monitoring cycles in CNMI.

The socioeconomic survey data in this collection come from surveys of adult residents in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) conducted as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Surveys are conducted for a random stratified sample of households on a recurring basis every 5-7 years. These data are collected to record human dimensions information and socioeconomic characteristics of the USVI's coral reef adjacent populations such as human use patterns, management support/opposition, and knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of coral reefs/coral reef management. Because these surveys are conducted on a recurring basis with the same methods it is possible to use these data to identify changes over time. This dataset contains primary data from all socioeconomic monitoring cycles in USVI.

This data package contains coral reef community composition data gathered during Line-Point-Intercept (LPI) surveys around the islands of Maui, Hawaii, and Oahu of the main Hawaiian Islands from March 8, 2010 to November 8, 2011 as part of a joint project with the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) and the State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). The line-point-intercept (LPI) method (Hill and Wilkinson 2004) is used to assess the percentage of cover for live corals and other benthic elements. The surveys were conducted by a SCUBA diver swimming along two pre-selected 25-m transect lines, during which the benthic element falling directly beneath the transect line was recorded at 25- or 50-cm intervals for 100 or 50 total points/observations per transect, respectively. Benthic elements were assigned to one of ten benthic categories: live (scleractinian) corals, octocorals, dead corals, coralline algae, macroalgae, turf algae, cyanophyes, zoanthids, other sessile macro-invertebrates, and sand. Benthic organisms were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (corals, macroalgae, and zoanthids to genus or species). Turf algae included pavement, rock, rubble, and turf algae observations.

Habitat quadrats were surveyed at 8-13 m depths using shore-based transects swum at 3 longshore sites on the leeward coast (North and South Kohala districts) of the Big Island (Hawaii Island, in the MHI) during spring 2005. Substratum percent cover and rugosity were characterized within multiple quadrats at each site. A total 90 "Reference" ('REF') quadrats (whose positions were randomly selected) and a total 89 "Target" ('TAR') quadrats (positions centered on sightings of recruit fishes), each of 1-m2** area, were surveyed at the 3 Sites. In each quadrat, the percentage cover of each of seven (7) major substratum types were estimated, as was a "Rugosity Index". The study was published in a peer-reviewed marine science journal in August 2007. The full citation is: "DeMartini EE, Anderson TW (2007) Habitat associations and aggregation of recruit fishes on Hawaiian coral reefs. Bulletin of Marine Science 81(1):139-152".

Transects of the coral colonies at 21 sites in American Samoa were surveyed by Dr. Charles Birkeland during an underwater swim in March 2002. Data for each coral species include abundances and size distributions of the colonies. The living coral cover can be estimated from the size distribution data. Data were collected by the US DOI; Geological Survey - Honolulu in support of the Coral Reef Studies.

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20101007 to 20101105, reef fish assessment surveys were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HA1008 in the Main Hawaiian Islands region by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, 16 REA sites were surveyed at Lanai 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.