Scientists on the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai survey coral reefs in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Scientists on the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai have embarked on a 1-month expedition to assess the coral reef ecosystems of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The research cruise is a project of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) under the direction of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC).
The research vessel will conduct survey operations at French Frigate Shoals, Maro Reef, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island/Neva Shoals, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Kure Atoll, and Midway Atoll.
Leading the expedition is Peter Vroom of the University of Hawaii Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR), a marine scientist and algae specialist working in the PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED). The field party includes other JIMAR scientists and collaborators from the Papanāumokuākea Marine National Monument and the Division of Aquatic Resources of the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The standard scientific protocol of CRED's Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program will be applied during the expedition. Scuba divers on the Hi'ialakai will conduct rapid ecological assessments of reef fish, corals, other invertebrates, and algae in NWHI reef habitats. They will also carry out towed-diver surveys of fish and benthic communities and collect a suite of oceanographic data.
The Hi'ialakai cruise supports the mapping and monitoring components of the CRCP Coral Reef Ecosystem Integrated Observing System in the Pacific. Data collected during the surveys are a vital part of long-term biological and oceanographic monitoring of the coral reef ecosystems of the Hawaiian Archipelago, including waters of the Monument and the main Hawaiian Islands. They will add to information gathered during earlier baseline assessments, monitoring surveys, and mapping operations conducted annually from 2000-2007. In particular, data on the abundance and spatial distributions of reef fish, invertebrates, corals, and algae will help scientists evaluate changes in the health and condition of the remote NWHI coral reef ecosystems. Long-term scientific monitoring of ecosystem status and trends enables Federal and State managers to better understand the marine resources under their jurisdictions.
