This data set contains Excel and CSV files containing fish length of Juvenile Reeffish. Trawls were made during the summer months in shallow seagrass beds to monitor the number and species of juvenile snapper using the grass as a nursery.

This dataset includes the data that was used for the tidal portion of the joint pilot fish habitat assessment. Additional data for non-tidal waters is being archived by USGS in ScienceBase. This data collection contains geospatial data of environmental layers used in the model analysis as well as the outputs of an ensemble fish habitat prediction model. It includes layer inputs at 3 different spatial scales (10x10m, 100x100m, and 1000x1000m) for the following environmental predictive variables: substrate bottom, distance to hardened shoreline, distance to submerged aquatic vegetation beds, distance to protective areas, dissolved oxygen, salinity, water quality, and benthic index of biotic integrity all in the form of TIF files (.tiff). There were 16 total inputs per resolution scale all cropped to a tidal waterbody boundary for the Patuxent watershed. This boundary is also included in the data collection and is represented as a single feature polygon shapefile (.shp). Lastly, there is a csv file containing presence sites for white perch sampled from a variety of different fish survey datasets. These were collected and joined to represent fish presence within the tidal portion of the Patuxent watershed and includes associated spatial and temporal data. For more information see (Nisonson et al., 2024).

This dataset is derived from a Coral Reef Conservation Program-funded project to access effects of trap fishing on coral reefs and associated habitats in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Florida Keys. These data are fishery-dependent and include GPS locations of trap buoys, habitats targeted, and effects on traps on coral reef organisms encountered. Field work was conducted with local partners: FWCC in Florida Keys UPR-M in Puerto Rico and USVI Fish and Wildlife in US Virgin Islands.

Juvenile spotted seatrout and other sportfish are being monitored annually over a 6-mo period in Florida Bay to assess their abundance over time relative to restoration of a more natural pattern of freshwater flow from the Florida Everglades through implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). This monitoring and assessment project will provide a scientific basis for the selection of spatial and temporal abundance indices, performance measures, and targets to determine the effect of CERP on Florida Bay resources. Monitoring annually during the period of greatest abundance, May through October, will provide data to determine whether there is a significant relationship of sport fish distribution and abundance to salinity and other environmental variables. Habitat suitability models will be developed from the data and will be used to predict distribution and abundance under different scenarios of freshwater inflow, past and future.

The data set contains information on locations sampled, gears used, and whether red snapper were observed. If a red snapper was caught its total length was recorded.

The identification of essential habitats for marine species is critical for proper management of populations. Although the species composition of sharks that occur in coastal waters is diverse, descriptions of distribution and habitat use tend to be generalized; distribution has been broadly outlined in which individuals are segregated into different habitats by ontogeny The GULFPSAN survey is a fishery-independent survey that began in 1994 to examine the distribution and abundance of juvenile sharks in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico. It was done adhoc through 2002. In 2003 it began to receive its own funding. The database describes coastal shark abundance and environmental data from St. Andrews Bay to Apalachicola Bay in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

This data set is derived from complementary projects operated in western and southwestern Puerto Rico. The research was designed 1) to compare the prevalence and impact of coral diseases on reefs across a gradient of human affects from mainland Puerto Rico, to more remote shelf edge reefs, and also uninhabited offshore islands (Mona Island and Desecheo Island) to understand factors that enhance or decrease disease impacts and document the resulting effects on reef fish assemblages, and 2) to monitor restoration success at the site of the M/V Fortuna Reefer grounding on Mona Island using Acropora palmata fragment reattachment, growth, and survival, incidence of coral disease, and composition of reef fish assemblages as indicators of recovery and reef health. The data consist of transect surveys (30 x 2 m) and stationary point counts (5m radius) of reef fish assemblages taken around permanent sites: identification to the lowest taxon possible (generally, genus and species), abundance, size estimates (fork length to the nearest cm). Samples are identified by location, date, time, and observer. Benthic data are maintained separately by co-PI (A. Bruckner).

This fish and benthic composition database is the result of a multifaceted effort described below. The intent of this work is five fold: 1) To spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance, and size of both reef fishes and macro-invertebrate (conch, lobster, Diadema); 2) To relate this information to in-situ data collected on associated benthic composition parameters; 3) To use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting; 4) To establish the efficacy of those management decisions; and 5) To work with the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program to develop data collection standards and easily implemented methodologies for transference to other agencies and to work toward standardizing data collection throughout the US states and territories. Toward this end, the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment's Biogeography Branch (BB) has been conducting research in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands since 2000 and 2001, respectively. It is critical, with recent changes in management at both locations (e.g. implementation of MPAs) as well as proposed changes (e.g. zoning to manage multiple human uses) that action is taken now to accurately describe and characterize the fish/macro-invertebrate populations in these areas. It is also important that BB work closely with the individuals responsible for recommending and implementing these management strategies. Recognizing this, BB has been collaborating with partners at the University of Puerto Rico, National Park Service, US Geological Survey and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources.To quantify patterns of spatial distribution and make meaningful interpretations, we must first have knowledge of the underlying variables determining species distribution. The basis for this work therefore, is the nearshore benthic habitats maps (less than 100 ft depth) created by NOAA's Biogeography Program in 2001 and NOS' bathymetry models. Using ArcView GIS software, the digitized habitat maps are stratified to select sampling stations. Sites are randomly selected within these strata to ensure coverage of the entire study region and not just a particular reef or seagrass area. At each site, fish, macro-invertebrates, and benthic composition information is then quantified following standardized protocols. By relating the data collected in the field back to the habitat maps and bathymetric models, BB is able to model and map species level and community level information. These protocols are standardized throughout the US Caribbean to enable quantification and comparison of reef fish abundance and distribution trends between locations. Armed with the knowledge of where "hot spots" of species richness and diversity are likely to occur in the seascape, the BB is in a unique position to answer questions about the efficacy of marine zoning strategies (e.g. placement of no fishing, anchoring, or snorkeling locations), and what locations are most suitable for establishing MPAs. Knowledge of the current status of fish/macro-invertebrate communities coupled with longer term monitoring will enable evaluation of management efficacy, thus it is essential to future management actions.