A baseline environmental characterization of the northeastern reaches of Bristol Bay, Alaska was conducted using the National Status and Trends’ sediment quality triad approach. The study area was subdivided into 6 strata based on geophysical and hydrodynamic patterns (the upper and lower reaches of Nushagak and Kvichak Bays, Dillingham Harbor ...

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is responsible for oversight and management of the development of energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In 2012, BOEM identified three Wind Energy Call Areas and later defined Wind Energy Areas on the OCS of North Carolina. Presently, sufficient uncertainty exists ...

The insular shelf south of St. Thomas and St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is an expansive geomorphologic feature with extensive mesophotic coral reefs occurring at 30 to 150 meter depths. These mesophotic reefs are part of a broader coral reef community in the U.S. Caribbean that provide ...

Saipan Lagoon plays a crucial role in the economy, tourism, and culture of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Understanding the spatial distribution and extent of Lagoon habitats is needed for planning sustainable economic development, evaluating zoning scenarios, minimizing user conflicts, ensuring public safety, and preventing environmental degradation ...

Highly detailed maps of benthic habitats within the lagoon along the western shore of Saipan were created by NOAA NCCOS. This data collection includes the information used to create these detailed maps, including: 1) a high resolution satellite image, 2) depths derived from this satellite image, 3) in situ habitat ...

This report describes the development and assessment of shallow (0-40 m) benthic habitat maps for Fish Bay, Coral Bay and the St. Thomas East End Reserve (STEER) in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The objective of this effort, conducted by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in partnership with the ...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) initiated a coral reef research program in 1999 to map, assess, inventory, and monitor U.S. coral reef ecosystems. These activities were implemented in response to requirements outlined in the Mapping Implementation Plan developed by the Mapping and Information Synthesis ...

To develop an understanding of stock structure and recruitment variation in Bering Sea pollock, the Coastal Ocean Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funded an 7-year (1991-1997), interdisciplinary project named Bering Sea Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (BS FOCI) for which NOAA and academic researchers were selected through a ...

These Best Management Practices will be useful to many stakeholders. Farm owners and operators can apply them to guide siting and farm management practices. Coastal managers and community planners can use this information to make environmentally responsible decisions about the economic opportunities that aquaculture offers. Federal, state, and local regulatory ...

The bibliography is subdivided into four main topics or sections: ecosystems, coastal water body conditions, natural disasters, and resource management. In the ecosystems section, emphasis is placed on organisms in their environment on the major coastlines of the U.S. In the second section, coastal water body conditions, the environment itself ...

The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) represents the northernmost tropical western Atlantic coral reef on the continental shelf and supports the most highly developed offshore hard bank community in the region. This work was conducted to develop baseline information on fish and benthic communities within the FGBNMS. Surveys ...

The project originated from an ongoing collaboration between USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) and NOAA on the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) was developed in 2003 by the USDA as a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices applied by private ...

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-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema); 2) To relate this information to in-situ ...

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-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema); 2) To relate this information to in-situ ...

This fish database is the result of a mutlifaceted 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-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema); 2) To relate this information to in-situ data collected on ...

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-invertebrates (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 ...

Reef fish populations are a conspicuous and essential component of USVI coral reef ecosystems. Yet despite their importance, striking population and community level changes have occurred in the recent past due to fishing pressure and habitat degradation. The monitoring methodologies described in this document are necessary for understanding how natural ...

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-invertebrates (conch, lobster, Diadema); 2) To relate this information to in-situ ...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationÕs (NOAA) Biogeography Branch, in consultation with NOAAÕs Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and other local and regional experts, is conducting an ecological characterization of the marine ecosystem around Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. The assessment will support effective management and conservation of marine resources ...

This biogeographic characterization is a project formed from the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries - National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Long-term Agreement. This agreement originates from the common belief of these two programs within NOAA’s National Ocean Service that it is critical to have incorporated the best available science ...