This data contains densities of fishes detected using mobile fisheries sonar on board the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. The data were acquired in concert with a multibeam bathymetry survey of EL SECO, off the coast of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico in 2009. Fish densities are presented by size classes, corresponding to individual lengths inferred from the intensity of acoustic target return, in units of fish per 100 square meters.

This data contains densities of fishes detected using mobile fisheries sonar on board the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. The data were acquired in concert with a multibeam bathymetry survey of Grand Northeast Ecological Corridor. Fish densities are presented by size classes, corresponding to individual lengths inferred from the intensity of acoustic target return, in units of fish per 100 square meters.

The design of this field mission is three fold: (1) to spatially characterize the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and macro invertebrates within and around the waters of the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary using, (2) to relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters and (3) to use hydroacoustics technologies for a comprehensive assessment of East and West Bank. This information collected will be used to evaluate the utility of an experimental fishing closure on one of the most pristine reefs under US jurisdiction in the tropical Western Atlantic. Data collected during this mission (pre-closure) will provide baseline information necessary to evaluate closure efficacy and assess whether the closure should become permanent.

The research mission was conducted in the Dry Tortugas, FL by National Ocean Service scientists from the Center for Coastal Habitat and Fisheries Research (CCFHR) during 2009 aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. The overall objective of CCFHR's research in the Tortugas is to examine the effects of implementation of the Tortugas North Ecological Reserve (TNER). The establishment of the TNER, a no-take reserve, in 2001 provided the opportunity to examine the response of the fish and benthic communities to the creation of a refuge for exploited reef fishes. Historically, exploitation of reef fishes in the Tortugas has focused on large predatory reef fishes, primarily snappers and groupers and, to a lesser extent, grunts. Trends in populations of these targeted species are expected to vary relative to geographic variation in fishing mortality (F). Increasing trends in targeted species abundance are expected in the TNER where all fishing was prohibited in 2001. Within adjacent areas managed as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), where both federally sanctioned commercial and recreational fisheries are permitted, exploited populations are expected to be depressed relative to those in the TNER. Within the Dry Tortugas National Park (DTNP) where fishing effort is limited to recreational hook and line fishing, trends in exploited species are expected to be intermediate to those observed in the TNER and EEZ. Cascading effects due to change in abundance of exploited species is expected to indirectly impact corals and other sessile benthic communities. Sampling to detect reserve implementation effects was conducted at the ecotone between the reef habitat of the banks and the surrounding soft-bottom shelf where the structure and composition of communities should provide sensitive indicators of a reserve effect. Energy flow across reef-sand boundaries is critical to reef communities. Energy and nutrients are imported to the reef by nocturnally foraging reef fish that feed in sand, algae, and seagrass flats adjacent to the reef. The majority of the TNER (approximately 70%) consists of soft-bottom shelf habitat, and previous work on the west Florida shelf suggests that benthic primary production is the major energy source supporting fish biomass. In addition to providing ecologically sensitive sampling locations, the interface between bank and shelf provided a distinct landscape feature suited to a comparative analysis of management impact. Observations were made using 1) a stratified-random survey design for scuba divers visual observations, 2) a systematic survey of fish and fauna using scientific splitbeam echosounders (fisheries sonar) to map fish densities and biomass on the shelf, coral and softbottom habitats.

The design of this field mission is three fold: (1) to spatially characterize the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and macro invertebrates within and around the waters of the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary, (2) to relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters and (3) to use hydroacoustics technologies for a comprehensive assessment of East and West Bank. This information collected will be used to evaluate the utility of an experimental fishing closure on one of the most pristine reefs under US jurisdiction in the tropical Western Atlantic. Data collected during this mission (pre-closure) will provide baseline information necessary to evaluate closure efficacy and assess whether the closure should become permanent.

The design of this field mission is three fold: (1) to spatially characterize the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and macro invertebrates within and around the waters of the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary using, (2) to relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters and (3) to use hydroacoustics technologies for a comprehensive assessment of East and West Bank. This information collected will be used to evaluate the utility of an experimental fishing closure on one of the most pristine reefs under US jurisdiction in the tropical Western Atlantic. Data collected during this mission (pre-closure) will provide baseline information necessary to evaluate closure efficacy and assess whether the closure should become permanent.

The design of this field mission is three fold: (1) to spatially characterize the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and macro invertebrates within and around the waters of the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary using, (2) to relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters and (3) to use hydroacoustics technologies for a comprehensive assessment of East and West Bank. This information collected will be used to evaluate the utility of an experimental fishing closure on one of the most pristine reefs under US jurisdiction in the tropical Western Atlantic. Data collected during this mission (pre-closure) will provide baseline information necessary to evaluate closure efficacy and assess whether the closure should become permanent.

These datasets show acoustically detected fish densities throughout the Caribbean ocean. NOAA/NCCOS collected these datasets to help characterize broad-scale fish abundance, biomass, and understand temporal behavior. Acoustic data was collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster using 120-7C splitbeam transducer during cruise # NF08-01, NF09-01, NF10-03, NF11-01, NF12-01, NF13-01, and NF14-01. The hull mounted Simrad 120-7C transducer was calibrated to factory standards and environmental parameters where applied during acquisition. Data was collected using 128 microsecond pulse length and had a varied ping rate due to triggering from Reson 7125 multibeam system. The resulting data layers show geo-referenced fish densities per 100 square meter intervals. The fish densities have been divided into three size classes, small fish (<11cm), medium fish (11cm-29cm), and large fish (>29cm).

NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Team, in collaboration with NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, federal, academic, and private sector partners conducted the 2016 Seafloor Mapping of the US Caribbean project. Several areas of interest were explored and surveyed during the field mission in the eastern Puerto Rico region. H12935 was conducted on along the southeastern Puerto Rican shelf edge using a deep water Em 710 multibeam echo sounder (mbes) at 100khz. H12936 was conducted north of the Isla de Culebra over the broad moderately shallow insular shelf using a 400 khz Reson 7125 mbes. A third opportunistic survey was conducted along the edge of the USVI insular shelf south of St. Thomas to conjoin previous NOAA Ship Nancy Foster mission surveys. During the field mission, a Remotely Operated Vehicle owned by the University of North Carolina collected HD photo and video ground validation video. Data was processed by a NOAA contractor using CARIS HIPS software. Data has all correctors applied (attitude, sound velocity) and has been reduced to mean lower low water (MLLW) using final approved tides from NOAA COOPS. Data is spatially referenced in UTM Zone 20 North, Datum WGS84. The project was conducted to meet IHO order 1 and 2 accuracy standards, dependent on the project area and depth. All users should individually evaluate the suitability of this data according to their own needs and standards.