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Puerto Rico & Vieques 2008 Cruise: Overview
Personnel
NOAA/NCCOS: Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research- Jud Kenworthy
(Chief Scientist) - John Burke
(Principal Investigator) - Brian Degan
(Field Party Chief) - Roger Mays
(Dive Master) - Amy Uhrin
(Web Page Coordinator) - Christine Addison
- Don Field
- Brett Harrison
- Brooke Landry
- Brad Teer
- Jack Javech
- Kim Foley
- Jennifer Kunzelman
- Manuel Merello
NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER (credit: Amy V. Uhrin, CCFHR)
Yellow goatfish schooling over reef habitat (credit: Amy V. Uhrin, CCFHR)
Cruise title: Comparative distribution of habitat, fishes, and habitat utilization on the insular shelf, south of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
Cruise dates: March 26–April 5, 2008
Cruise Number: NF–08–06–SEAS
Area of Operation: Southern coast of Vieques Island and the northeast coast off Puerto Negro, sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico aboard NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER.
Cruise Objectives:
- Conduct comprehensive hydroacoustic multi–beam and split–beam surveys of shelf waters from a depth of 20 m out to the shelf break (40 m) within six study areas along the south coast of Vieques.
- Conduct diver surveys of benthic habitat and the associated fish communities.
- Estimate abundance and species composition of resident fauna from nursery areas within lagoon/backreef regions using diver–operated push net sampling.
Habitat survey diver Amy Uhrin over hard–bottom habitat
colonized with gorgonians (credit: Michael Judge, NMFS/
SEFSC)
Comparative distribution of habitat, fishes, and habitat utilization on the insular shelf, south of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
In collaboration with NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, the Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research is conducting ongoing fish and benthic habitat surveys around the Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. The goal of this study is to collect data which will serve to prioritize conservation efforts related to the cleanup and restoration of Vieques’ coastal waters. Surveys are designed to identify benthic habitats of high value for fisheries by quantitatively sampling benthic habitats and associated fish communities within coastal shelf habitats.
The southern shelf of Vieques is the focus of our 2008 cruise based on previous observations of marine resources around the island. Analyses of survey data collected annually since 2004 suggest that fish abundance and habitat complexity is highest on the southern shelf of the island. The southern shelf has large open bays and extensive backreef/lagoon habitats that act as nurseries for juvenile fishes and crustaceans and provide recruitment to deeper areas of the shelf.
The southern shelf has been divided into six sampling areas to provide a spatial framework for comparative sonar and diver surveys of the distribution of resources. Simultaneous multi–beam and split–beam sonar surveys will be conducted to provide data on the bathymetry of benthic habitat and fish abundance and biomass respectively. Sonar surveys will be conducted, both day and night, in depths of 10 to 40m. Diver surveys will be conducted in sampling strata defined by two cross–shelf depth zones (1–10, 10–20m) and two substrate types (vegetated sediments and reef). Stations within each of the four sampling strata of each study area are randomly selected. Comparison of fish distribution, abundance, biomass, and habitat utilization among the study areas will provide insight to regional patterns of fish productivity and a basis for decisions relevant to the sustainable management of Vieques’ marine resources.
