This project will integrate information on ecosystem stressors and predator-prey interactions into the fisheries assessment and management process in the Gulf of Mexico.

This project explores how oyster, blue crab, and spotted seatrout populations respond to human and environmental changes with the goal of improving the management of these economically and culturally important species.

This project compiled and evaluated existing information on fish spawning aggregations in the Gulf of Mexico as the basis to design a cooperative, Gulf-wide conservation and monitoring program focused on fish spawning aggregations. The investigators compiled existing biological and fisheries information for Gulf of Mexico species known or likely to form spawning aggregations and identified existing datasets and monitoring programs in the Gulf of Mexico that could inform regional monitoring of spawning aggregations.

Restoration of beach, dune, and back-barrier marsh habitats at the Caillou Lake Headlands location occurred on Whiskey Island, a barrier island in the Isle Dernieres reach of the Terrebonne Basin barrier system. The project was federally authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 and selected as a preferred alternative in the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Shoreline Restoration (TBBSR) Integrated Feasibility Study and Final Environmental Impact Statement (United States Corps of Engineers (USACE) 2010)), and included in the 2012 Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast. The restoration used approximately 10.5 million cubic yards of sand/sediment to restore 954 acres beach, dune, and marsh. NOAA is the lead Trustee for the design and construction of this project component, working cooperatively with Louisiana and the DOI.

Data represent an example calculation of ecological suitability for Pensacola and Perdido Bays. Data used are publicly available and are presented as tables, figures and appendices in the published paper. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110896. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Smith, L., E. Reschke, J. Bousquin, L. Cheskiewicz, N. Ilias, J. Summers, and J. Harvey. Methods for a composite ecological suitability measure to inform cumulative restoration assessments in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 154: 1-15, (2023).

Data represent an example calculation of ecological suitability for Pensacola and Perdido Bays. Data used are publicly available and are presented as tables, figures and appendices in the published paper. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110896. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Smith, L., E. Reschke, J. Bousquin, L. Cheskiewicz, N. Ilias, J. Summers, and J. Harvey. Methods for a composite ecological suitability measure to inform cumulative restoration assessments in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 154: 1-15, (2023).

These Submerged Aquatic Vegetation data were gathered and utilized during the Response and Assessment phases of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These data are for the rooted vascular plants such as seagrasses and freshwater/brackish species that grow in the intertidal and subtidal zones. It includes discrete samples, field observations, field photographs and related files originating from the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Technical Working Group (TWG). The data were compiled by the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and Trustees in the Data Integration, Visualization, Exploration, and Reporting (DIVER) data warehouse prior to being archived by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The collection of files include environmental data used to determine the extent and magnitude of injury to the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These data were used as part of the Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (PDARP) developed through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) conducted as a result of the April 20, 2010 explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles (60 km) southeast off the Louisiana coast, that led to a major oil spill in the region.

All data are taken from existing internet sources and combined to create the index and its applications. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Summers, K., L. Harwell, A. Lamper, C. McMillion, K. Buck, and L. Smith. Gulf of Mexico Coastal County Resilience to Natural Hazards. Gulf and Caribbean Research. University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, MI, USA, 32(1): 67-78, (2021).

All data are taken from existing internet sources and combined to create the index and its applications. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Summers, K., L. Harwell, A. Lamper, C. McMillion, K. Buck, and L. Smith. Gulf of Mexico Coastal County Resilience to Natural Hazards. Gulf and Caribbean Research. University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, MI, USA, 32(1): 67-78, (2021).

This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for threatened and endangered plants and lichens in the Florida Panhandle. Vector polygons in this data set represent threatened and endanged plant and lichen distribution. Species specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in relational data tables (described below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer. This data set comprises a portion of the ESI data for Florida. ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources.