National Park of American Samoa marine fish trend report for 2010–2019: Pacific Island Network
Brown E, Clark T, Fuiava B, Moffitt IJ, McKenna S, Jeannot L. 2022. National Park of American Samoa marine fish trend report for 2010–2019: Pacific Island Network. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NPSA/NRR—2022/2346. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/nrr-2289963
The National Park of American Samoa (NPSA) has three park units, which are located on three different islands (Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta‘ū). Each park unit has a marine component that includes fringing reef habitat from nearshore to deep-water representing reef zones from backreef lagoon to reef slope. The seaward boundary is ¼ mile (400 m) offshore of park units where waters reach 65 m in depth for the Tutuila unit, 20 m for the Ofu unit, and 250 m for the Ta‘ū unit. NPSA is one of four parks within the Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program of the Pacific Island Network (PACN) where marine Vital Signs (i.e., an indicator of physical, chemical, biological elements, or ecosystem processes selected to represent the overall health or condition of natural resources within parks) for the fish and benthic communities are monitored by peer-reviewed standardized protocols. The objective of the PACN Marine Fish Monitoring Protocol at NPSA is to annually determine the numerical density, biomass, and size of reef fish species at sites randomly selected on hard substrata between the 10 and 20 m depths (Brown et al. 2011). From 2010–2019, a total of 150 transects, each 25 m in length, were sampled. A split panel sampling design was used with 30 transects sampled annually on hard-bottom substrate. Fifteen transects were randomly established in 2007 as permanent transects and subsequently surveyed on an annual basis. The remaining 15 temporary transects were randomly selected each year and surveyed only in that year. Data collection consisted of a visual count and size estimation of all fishes within a 25 m underwater belt transect that was surveyed in two passes. The first pass counted fish larger than 20 cm in a 4 m wide belt and then fishes less than 20 cm were enumerated on the return pass that was 2 m in width. Scientific divers were used to conduct these surveys and focused on all diurnal or day-active fish species. This report includes the status and trends of the fish populations observed at NPSA from 2010–2019 as determined by implementation of the I&M PACN Marine Fish Monitoring Protocol (Brown et al. 2011).
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Brown, Eric; Clark, Tim; Fuiava, Bert; Moffitt, Ian; McKenna, Sheila; Jeannot, Laura-Li
- Date of Issue
- 2022-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/nrr-2289963
- Units
- NPSA , NRSS , PACN
- Keywords
- Biomass, Density, Diversity, Endemic, Fish assemblage, Fishing Pressure, Invasive, Marine Fish, Marine Fish Monitoring Report, Rugosity, Species Richness, Trend, Trophic, Wave Exposure
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Marine Communities