Volume 66
Fish and Benthic Communities of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary:Science to Support Sanctuary Management
Authors
Clark, R., C. Taylor, C. Buckel, and L. Kracker Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2013
Pages: 344 345
Event: Proceedings of the Sixty six Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Corpus Christy
Country: USA
Abstract
Fish and benthic communities were surveyed for three years in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). Data generated provides baseline information on key biological communities, and can be utilized to address resource management priorities in the sanctuary. Benthic and fish community surveys were designed based on previous survey designs (Caldow et al. 2009) and implemented by a team of multidisciplinary scientists using three complementary techniques: i) Diver surveys, using recreational and technical scuba techniques, quantified benthic and fish communities on the coral reef at depths between 18 - 45 m / 59-150 ft, ii) Remotely operated vehicles (ROV) conducted video surveys at depths greater than 46 m / 150 ft; and iii) Fishery acoustics (sonar) surveyed fish in the water column across all habitat types and depths.