The US Congress has authorized the Department of the Interior to enter into a lease agreement with the Governor of American Samoa to establish the National Park of American Samoa. This park would include a nearshore reef along the southern coast of the island of Ofu. This fringing reef on Ofu provides a natural lagoon habitat which is uncommon in American Samoa. This area supports a local subsistence fishery and provides excellent opportunities for diving and snorkeling. A survey of the nearshore reefs in the area of the proposed national park at Ofu was conducted between 7-12 September, 1992. The goals of the survey were to: 1) collect baseline data on the current status of the reefs and reef resources in the area, 2) to establish long-term monitoring stations to enable documentation of the health of the reef communities through time, and 3) to contribute information to a comprehensive coastal resource survey of Tutuila and the Manua Islands. The overall purpose of the work was to design and implement the biotic component of a reef monitoring program for the areas within and adjacent to the proposed national park site.

Data from a 1992 survey of the American Samoa coral reef ecosystem was received from Dr. Barry Smith of the University of Guam. The digital files replace a paper report submitted to NODC in Fall 1998. This study was part of the American Samoa Coastal Resources Inventory (ASCRI), partly funded by Sea Grant. His component of the study focuses on a systematic inventory of conspicuous marine macro-invertebrates observations.

Twelve quadrats were sampled along 2 consecutively-placed, 25m transect lines as part of Rapid Ecological Assessments conducted at 7 sites at Ofu and Olosega Islands in American Samoa in February, 2004 from the NOAA vessel Oscar Elton Sette (OES04-02). Raw survey data included genus presence and relative abundance, and voucher specimens. Detailed taxonomic analyses of voucher specimens are presented.

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 3 - 26 February 2004, marine invertebrate quantitative assessments were conducted, as part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise OES0402 in the American Samoa. Such cruises are conducted at biennial intervals by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). At specific reef sites, marine invertebrate zoologists along with coral and algal biologists entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (~100 m2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution benthic REA survey for coral, algae, and key invertebrate species. Invertebrate surveys were focused on quantifying key non-coral invertebrate species common to the reef habitats, and were conducted using a combination of different survey techniques to quantify the diverse communities. These methods included belt-transect surveys, roving-swim surveys, and quadrat surveys. In belt-transect surveys, quantitative counts of key invertebrates were recorded along two consecutively-placed 25m long and 2m wide belt transects (total area = 100 m2). For any species that cannot be identified in the field, a photograph and a representative specimen, if possible, is collected for later identification. Roving-swim surveys were conducted in the general area with the goal to collect qualitative data for rare, larger, and cryptic organisms, such as Crown of Thorns Starfish and Triton's Trumpet snails which may not be seen during belt-transect surveys, and to survey any additional habitats present at the site, e.g. sand, sea grass, pavement, etc. This was accomplished by swimming a zig-zag pattern that extends roughly 5 m on either side of the two transect lines (total length = 500 m). Quadrat surveys were used to quantify the smaller, more cryptic invertebrates which were sometimes overlooked or too numerous to count during belt-transect surveys. Ten 0.25-m2 quadrats were laid out at 2-m intervals along two of the 25-m transects (total area = 5 m2). For each quadrat the percent cover of sponges, octocorals and zoanthids was recorded, as well as urchins, hermit crabs of the genus Calcinus, trapezid crabs, and coralliophilid snails. In addition, up to 25 cm diameters of all urchin species are measured. Based on data from previous REA surveys, a group of target invertebrate species was chosen for quantitative counts at 8 REA sites at Ofu And Olosega Islands in the American Samoa. The species in the list were chosen because they have been shown to be common components of the reef habitats and they are species that are generally visible (i.e.; non-cryptic) and easily enumerated during the course of a single 50-60 minute SCUBA survey.

Time series data of wave height and water surface elevation were acquired for 399 days at four locations on the southern reef of Ofu, American Samoa, in support of a study on submarine groundwater dynamics on this reef within the National Park of American Samoa’s Ofu Unit. The relative placement of sensors on the reef were as follows: OFU20E03 – mid reef at East site; OFU20E04 – inner reef at East site; OFU20W03 – mid reef at West site; OFU20W04 – inner reef at West site.

A re-survey of coral communities in the American Samoa Archipelago covering the island of Tutuila and the Manu'a Group of islands (Ofu, Olosega, and Tau), was carried out during March 2002. All surveyed sites in 2002 were restricted to the 10m deep slope habitat only. The 1995 baseline survey utilized a larger sample size (belt width) within replicate transects, that could not be duplicated in the allocated time for the present survey due to the significant increase in colony densities. The same number of belt transects (5 per site) was used in both surveys for the Manu'a Group sites, but the number of transects per site was reduced to 3 per site on Tutuila. Consequently, sample unit size per site was 50% to 70% of the area sampled in 1995. Data were analyzed to investigate changes in coral colony size structure, cover, and density, and to interpret community dynamics. The variation in sample effort between surveys and to a less extent, among sites in 2002, meant that pooled analyses were limited, so descriptive and statistical tools were used to interpret community dynamics during the period between the two surveys. Threats and disturbances were also interpreted from features of the coral community dynamics, which included the impacts (and current extent) of coral bleaching as well as crown of thorns starfish infestations.

Geochemical analysis of coastal springs and possible source waters were conducted in the National Park Service's National Park of American Samoa (NPS-NPSA) Ofu Island unit. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved nutrients, nitrate isotopes (delta-18-O and delta-15-N). Algae samples were collected and analyzed for delta-15-N and delta-13-C values.

The biological communities at ten sites around the Island of Tutuila, American Samoa were surveyed in October 2002 by a team of four investigators. Diving observations and collections of benthic observations using scuba and snorkel were made at six stations in Pago Pago Harbor, two stations in Fagatele Bay, and one station each in Vatia Bay and Fagasa Bay. These results were compared with all marine organism reports for these areas by previous investigators.

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20120401 to 20120426, reef fish assessment surveys were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HA1201 in the American Samoa region by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, 30 REA sites were surveyed at Ofu & Olosega in the American Samoa 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.

Twelve quadrats were sampled along 2 consecutively-placed, 25m transect lines as part of Rapid Ecological Assessments conducted at 9 sites at Ta`u in American Samoa in February, 2004 from the NOAA vessel Oscar Elton Sette (OES04-02). Raw survey data included genus presence and relative abundance, and voucher specimens. Detailed taxonomic analyses of voucher specimens are presented.