Resource-fish surveys using timed-swims at 14 coral reef ecosystem sites off West Hawaii and 39 sites off Maui in 2005 (NCEI Accession 0002709)

In spite of which, previous coral reef monitoring programs in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) have been fragmentary and uncoordinated, with little or no overlap among programs in terms of survey site locations or habitat. The primary goal of this project was to develop and optimize an integrated reef-scale and ecosystem-scale monitoring approach for use by the state of Hawaii's aquatic resource management agency, the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), within the MHI.

A combination of methods already applied by DAR with new ones developed and trailed by this project now form the basis of a standard 'method toolkit' for use by DAR monitoring staff. The key output of this project, an integrated statewide coral reef monitoring scheme, has been adopted by DAR, who have committed to implementing it, beginning in 2006. Two new monitoring approaches: (i) 'Resource-Fish' surveys (targeting the large and mobile fishes which are primary targets of recreational and commercial food fisheries); and (ii) 'Benthic Characterization' (intended to be a medium-large scale survey approach capable of relatively easily generating benthic information suitable for improved understanding of fish distribution and community structure, and for detecting gross change in benthos) were developed and field trailed at sites in West Hawaii.