Surveys for adult invertebrates that were part of the hull fouling communities were done to determine to what extent marine alien invasive species (AIS) are being transported in this fashion. The focus was to perform a qualitative analysis that created a species inventory. The organisms that generally foul vessel hulls are the typical species found in natural marine intertidal and subtidal fouling communities. These organisms are usually associated with one of the following groups: porifera (sponges), coelenterata (hydroids, corals and anemones), mollusca (mussels, clams, and sea slugs), annelida (marine worms), arthropoda (barnacles, amphipods, and crabs), bryozoa (moss animals), chordata (sea squirts and fish), as well as macroalgae (seaweed). Through collaboration with state and private industry representatives, arrivals notification for various vessel types was received. This arrivals information was used to schedule field survey activities throughout the study. Field work occurred in 2003 at harbors of southern and southwestern coasts of Oahu, Hawaii.

Baseline surveys were conducted at numerous sites around each island, including those identified as "hotspots" by the Department of Aquatic Resources, around the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Oahu and Kauai. A total of 72 sites with 13 in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu alone. Alien and/or invasive algal abundance were ranked on a scale of 0 to 10 (0=0% cover, 10=100% cover) and includes habitat type (e.g., sand, lava bench, coral, rock, artificial substrate) and pertinent environmental correlates (e.g., depth, proximity to shore) at each site where invasive species are encountered. Sites where alien species presence have been documented in the past were resurveyed.

Only recently has information become available concerning the abundance of nonindigenous species in Hawaiian waters. Maciolek (1984) listed 19 species of diadromous and marine fishes to be present in Hawaiian waters, which was increased to 21 marine species by Randall (1987), about 4% of a total of 536 Hawaiian shore fish species (Randall 1992). Carlton and Eldredge (in prep.) reviewed the marine and brackish water invertebrates of Hawaiói and determined approximately 205 species to be demonstrably or potentially nonindigenous, again about 4% of the approximate 5000 marine species estimated for Hawaiói (Allison et al. 1995). Approximately 18 species of macroalgae have been introduced to Hawaiói since 1950 (Russell 1992, Rogers 1997, 1999), again about 4% of the approximately 430 estimated total macroalgal species for Hawaiói (G. Smith, pers. comm.). Baseline studies of Hawaiian nearshore marine biota directed toward the detection of introduced species and their impact have shown that nonindigenous introductions vary substantially from these average values, depending on the characteristics of the area surveyed. The most comprehensive survey conducted to date, a 1996 survey completed in Pearl Harbor (Coles et al. 1997; 1999), found 95 known or potentially nonindigenous species, which composed 23% of the 419 invertebrates, macroalgae, and fishes found. Only three nonindigenous invertebrates and one nonidigenous fish occurred at Midway Atoll in 1997 out of a total 444 taxa found (DeFelice et al. 1998). No nonindigenous algae or invertebrates were found in the nearshore and intertidal of Kahoóolawe Island in 1998 out of a total of 298 species observed or collected (Coles et al. 1998). Despite the potential importance of Honolulu Harbor or other commercial harbors on Oahu as potential gateways for nonindigenous marine species to enter the Hawaiian marine ecosystem, no studies have previously been conducted of introduced species in Hawaiian commercial harbors, and little information is available for the composition of the marine communities for these harbors. Therefore, surveys were conducted in Honolulu Harbor and Keehi Lagoon in 1997, and in Kewalo Basin, the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor and the Barbers Point Deep Draft Harbor in 1998. The results of this study are reported herein and the presence and impact of nonindigenous marine introductions in these harbors are evaluated

This raster data layer represents the presence of alien and invasive reef fish species within 2 km of an observation, including roi or bluespotted grouper (Cephalopholis argus), ta'ape or bluestripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira), and to'au or blacktail snapper (Lutjanus fulvus). Original data were queried from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH) Fisheries Ecology Research Laboratory (FERL) Hawaii Fish and Benthic Biological Synthesis Database (2000-2013), which is synthesized from NOAA, State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (CRAMP), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and other surveys conducted across the Main Hawaiian Islands. These data should be considered presence only. Areas with no presence may be due to lack of survey data or observed absence. Raster values of 1 represent areas within 2 km of positive invasive fish observations while values of 0 represent the remaining area. The cell size is 500 m and the area of interest is from the shoreline of the Main Hawaiian Islands extending 5 km offshore and 1 km inshore.

The marine algae, invertebrate and fish communities were surveyed at ten islet or offshore island sites in the Main Hawaiian Islands in the vicinity of Lanai, (Puu Pehe and Poo Poo Islets), Maui (Kaemi and Hulu Islets and the outer rim of Molokini), off Kaulapapa National Historic Park on Molokai (Mokapu, Okala and Namoku Islets) and Oahu (Kaohikaipu Islet and outside Kapapa Island) in 2007. Survey protocol at all sites consisted of an initial reconnaissance survey on which all algae, invertebrates and fishes that could be identified on site were listed and or photographed and collections of algae and invertebrates were collected for later laboratory identification. Following the reconnaissance surveys, quantitative estimates of coral and algal coverage and size and biomass of fishes along 25 m transects were conducted at each site and their locations were recorded using GPS. The original data are primarily provided as MS Excel spreadsheets with associated reports as .doc and .pdf files. Supplementary data is provided as .dbf files to use in a GIS. Associated data, primarily .jpg image data files, are filed under NCEI Accession 0043046.

In situ observations of the introduced predatory grouper roi (Cephalopholis argus) were taken within the coral reef ecosystem of Puako, northwest side of the Island of Hawaii in 2010-2011. Baseline surveys before roi removal were made in November 2010 and March 2011. After roi removal, a final survey was made in June 2011. A total of 47 transects were surveyed at control, reference, and treatment sites. Observations were made by experienced marine biologists using SCUBA at a depth range of 10-20 m. Tow board and standard visual belt transects were employed.

This data set was centralized for the Marine Gap Analysis Project of the Hawaii Natural Heritage Program. It was obtained from various principle investigators for a multitude of projects. It includes surveys from 183 locations on the eight main Hawaiian Islands. The data were placed in a relational database.

Data in this set come from two studies: "Ability of protected reefs to resist alien algae" and "How many fish does it take to keep the alien algae out?" Both are authored by Ms. Danielle Jayewardene and Dr. Charles Birkeland of University of Hawaii Manoa, in 2005 and 2006, respectively. For the former, the goal was to objectively and quantitatively assess the ability of marine protected areas (MPAs), to maintain ecosystem health, and to thereby resist invasion of alien algae. For the latter, specific objectives involved a) determining whether there are differences in cropping ability by larger herbivorous fishes compared to smaller herbivorous fishes, and b) whether there is a threshold level of algal biomass above which even an increased number of herbivorous fishes simply cannot crop down. The field work took place at eight coral reef sites located on the island of Oahu and the island of Hawaii.

To support NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) long-term goals for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, towed-diver surveys (AKA towboard surveys) are conducted by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) as part of Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruises. 14 towboard surveys (totaling 30.37 km in length) were conducted at Oahu in Main Hawaiian Islands from 20101007 to 20101105 as part of RAMP Cruise HA1008. Towboard surveys are a good method for obtaining a general description of large reef areas, assessing the status of low-density populations of large-bodied reef fish, large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching), general distribution and abundance patterns of macro-invertebrates (e.g., crown of thorns sea stars, giant clams), and for assessing trends in these populations and metrics. A pair of scuba divers (1 fish diver and 1 benthic diver) are towed 60 m behind a small survey launch at a speed of 1-2 knots and a depth of approximately 15 m. Each survey is 50 min long, covers about 2 km of habitat, and is divided into ten 5-minute survey segments. The fish diver records, to the lowest possible taxon, all large-bodied reef fishes (greater than 50 cm total length) seen within 5 m either side and 10 m in front of the towboard. Length of each individual is estimated to the nearest cm. The fish towboard is also outfitted with a forward-facing digital video camera to record the survey swath. The benthic diver records percent cover of coral and macroalgae, estimates benthic habitat type and complexity, and censuses a suite of benthic macroinvertebrates including crown of thorns sea stars and sea urchins. The benthic towboard is equipped with a downward-facing digital still camera which images the benthos at 15-second intervals. These images are analyzed for percent cover of coral, algae, and other benthic components. Both towboards are equipped with SEABIRD SBE-39 temperature/depth sensors set to record at 5-second intervals. Latitude and longitude of each survey track is recorded at 15-second intervals using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver onboard the tow boat. A layback algorithm is applied to more accurately map the position of the divers with respect to the reef environment. This algorithm calculates the position of the divers based on the position of the tow boat taking into account the length of the tow rope, the depth of the divers, and the curvature of the survey track. This metadata applies to the fish biomass observations.