National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified random surveys (StRS) of reef fish, including benthic estimate data of the Mariana Archipelago

The stationary point count (SPC) method is used to conduct reef fish surveys in the Mariana Archipelago as part of the ongoing NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The SPC method used to gather these data catalogs the diversity (species richness), abundance (numeric density) and biomass (fish mass per unit area) of diurnally active reef fish assemblages in shallow-water (less than 30 m) hard-bottom habitats.

Visual estimates of benthic cover and topographic complexity are also recorded within this collection, with benthic organisms grouped into broad functional categories (e.g., 'Hard Coral', 'Macroalgae'). A stratified random sampling (StRS) design is employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems throughout the region. The survey domain encompasses the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats and the stratification includes island, reef zone, and depth.