1. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NCCOS Mapping, Monitoring, and Assessment Activities in the US Caribbean Chris Caldow chris.caldow@noaa.gov SECART November 2009

2. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science To conduct and support research, monitoring, assessments, and technical assistance to meet NOAA’s coastal stewardship and management responsibilities. National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science  Center for Coastal Monitoring & Assessment  Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research  Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research  Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research

3. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science “Response” to recommendations Primary objective: address coral reef management needs Extensive internal and external comment 3 priority threats CRCP Roadmap for the Future

4. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Develop benthic habitat and bathymetric map products for resource managers Develop and implement a standardized characterization and monitoring strategy (through granting process & directly) Conduct assessments of coral ecosystem condition to inform the decision making process US Caribbean Focus

5. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 1.Target Jurisdictional needs through partnerships 2.Bring Fed’l assets to bear to accomplish mapping. 3.Develop and provide a range of data products and capabilities to support coral ecosystem management and conservation Map all US shallow-depth ( 30 m) coral ecosystems 4.Develop and foster capability towards “ecosystem change analysis” Mapping Strategy Management and Conservation Biological and Physical Monitoring Habitat Mapping

6. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science SHALLOW (0-30 m) MODERATE (30-300 m) DEEP (300 -1,000 m) Habitat Mapping – Core Capabilities

7. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Aerial Imagery St. John, USVI Benthic Habitats Resulting Benthic Habitat Map

8. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Bathymetry A)Multibeam data collected in deeper waters south of St. John, US Virgin Islands to complement habitat maps – February 2004 B)Bathymetric variation derived from multibeam bathymetry data provides managers with additional tools to understand resource distribution AB

9. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Caribbean Mapped Areas

10. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Jobos Bay ‘09 – 16 km 2 Interferometric Vieques ‘09 – 19 km 2 El Seco, 28 km 2 S. Shore St. John ‘09 – 47 km 2 Shallow, 195 km 2 Mid-depth FY09 Caribbean Activities

11. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science FY10 Caribbean Activities

12. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Develop benthic habitat and bathymetric map products for resource managers Develop and implement a standardized characterization and monitoring strategy (through granting process & directly ) Conduct assessments of coral ecosystem condition to inform the decision making process US Caribbean Focus

13. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Cooperative Monitoring Studies - Meeting Local Management Needs & National Program Requirements OBJECTIVES: 1) Provide leadership in the development and implementation of a national program to monitor US coral reef ecosystems. 2) Develop a “semi-coordinated” National network of monitoring sites, 3) Facilitate sharing of monitoring information among partners, and 4) Fill gaps in local monitoring coverage. A coordinated coral reef ecosystem monitoring program provides a national assessment capability to track the status and trends of coral reef health, community structure, and condition of US coral reef ecosystems. Results published (2002, 2005, 2008) in Status of US Coral Reef Ecosystem Report. National Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Program

14. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science St. John 1,188 visual surveys Buck Island (St. Croix) 1,619 visual surveys La Parguera 1,395 visual surveys Sampling Effort Jobos Bay TBD 2009/2010 Guanica Bay TBD 2009/2010 Vieques 75 visual surveys Flower Garden Banks 105 visual surveys Vieques, PR St. John, USVI St. Croix, USVI La Parguera, PR Jobos Bay, PR (2001-present) Guànica Bay, PR Direct Implementation

15. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Long-Term Monitoring (2001-present) -Basis for fishery independent assessments (consumptive & ornamental) -Evaluation of management efficacy -Baseline for damage assessment -Identification of nursery areas and key habitats (Acropora) -Inform decisions on marine zoning La Parguera

16. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Abundance Size class Sexual maturity Reef fish Macro invertebratesWater quality Turbidity Temperature Nutrients Organic Contaminants Trace and Major Elements Live cover (hard & soft corals, sponges, SAV) Abundance (soft corals & sponges) Condition (coral disease incidence; bleaching) Canopy height (soft corals, sponges, SAV) Benthic Ecosystem / Community Indices (Diversity, Evenness, Richness) Field Data Collected

17. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Synoptic and real-time 2- and 3-D data at cm to km scale 1.Relative “biomass” across landscape/habitat mosaics (Kracker et al., Grays Reef NMS) 2.Absolute density of prey fields, predator/prey relationships (Hazen et al., Stellwagen Bank NMS) 3.Habitat utilization, behavioral observations, spawning aggregations ( Keys NMS and PR, Taylor et al.) 17Hydroacoustics

18. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Mapping fish biomass Implementation in Vieques, PR

19. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Develop benthic habitat and bathymetric map products for resource managers Develop and implement a standardized characterization and monitoring strategy (through granting process & directly ) Conduct assessments of coral ecosystem condition to inform the decision making process US Caribbean Focus

20. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Assessment: MPA Inside vs. Outside Objective: Assess fish and coral communities within and nearby Marine Protected Areas to evaluate their efficacy and provide a baseline against which future change can be documented St. John – Groupers Coney Tiger Red Hind Graysby Biomass (kg/100m 2 ) Outside VICRNM 0.0 0.4 0.2 0.6

21. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Assessment: NS & T Program Objective: Provide a comprehensive assessment of environmental contamination, toxicity, and biological community condition in coastal, estuarine, and coral reef ecosystems NS&T PROGRAM OVERVIEW  280 sites nationwide monitored annually for 120 contaminants  Nation’s longest running coastal contaminant monitoring program

22. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Assessment: Jobos Bay, NERR Watershed Objective: Integrate sediment and water contamination (nutrients and agrochemicals) with biological indicators of coral reef ecosystem condition to evaluate the effectiveness of BMP implementation in an agricultural watershed

23. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Representative Products Technology transfer: Survey methodologies and analyses have become a standard at universities, as well as, federal and territorial government agencies; benthic maps are now integral to characterization, assessment, and monitoring activities in coral reef ecosystems. Communication tools: Online database & website developed to serve information and summary analyses to partners and to the public. Data: NMFS - stock assessments; UPR - ornamental fish species, sampling design; NPS – boundary modification, ship grounding damage assessment; USVI – sampling designs, methods; UVI – sampling design; PR – oil spill response; CFMC – spawning aggregation detection; DOA – BMP evaluation; Navy – ordinance eval in Vieques 2008 Coral Report: Standardized set of data, analyses, and text for chapters on Puerto Rico, USVI, and Hawaii coral ecosystems.

24. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Web Site: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov Interactive, Web Data Discovery ToolsData Discovery Tools Technical Memos Peer-reviewed Journal Articles Data Set CD-ROMs and DVDs Professional Conferences Briefings Video Documentary Museum Exhibits and Features National and Local Media Dialogues Outreach and Education Events Multimedia Features (Podcasts, Youtube) Information & Data Dissemination

25. NOAA / NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Caribbean: Partnerships http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/  Caribbean Fisheries Management Council  National Marine Fisheries Service  National Ocean Service  National Park Service  Ocean Conservancy  Puerto Rico DNER  University of Hawaii  University of Miami  University of Virgin Islands  University of Puerto Rico  US Geological Survey  Virgin Islands DPNR