Field Manual for Coral Reef Assessments
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EPA/600/R-12/029 | April 2012 |www.epa.gov/ged Field Manual for Coral Reef Assessments Office of Research and Development National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory Gulf Ecology Division Field Manual for Coral Reef Assessments Deborah L. Santavy William S. Fisher Jed G. Campbell Robert L. Quarles Gulf Ecology Division National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1 Sabine Island Dr. Gulf Breeze, FL. 32561 Notice and Disclaimer The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development and Office of Water funded and collaborated in the research and development of these field protocols. It has been subjected to the Agency’s peer and administrative review and has been approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. This is a contribution to the EPA Office of Research and Development’s Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Program, Coral Reefs Project. The appropriate citation for this report is: Santavy DL, Fisher WS, Campbell JG and Quarles RL. 2012. Field Manual for Coral Reef Assessments. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Gulf Ecology Division, Gulf Breeze, FL. EPA/600/R-12/029. April 2012. This document can be downloaded from EPA’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/ged/publications.html ii Table of Contents Notice and Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................. ii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... vii 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Biological Water Quality Standards ..................................................................................... 2 1.2 Ecosystem Services ............................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Measuring Coral Reef Condition ........................................................................................... 7 1.4 References ............................................................................................................................ 11 2.0 Visual Assessment of Reef Fish ......................................................................................................... 14 2.1 What is measured? .............................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Why is it measured? ............................................................................................................ 14 2.3 What do we need?................................................................................................................ 15 2.4 How are data collected? ...................................................................................................... 16 2.5 How are data managed? ...................................................................................................... 18 2.6 How are indicators calculated? .......................................................................................... 18 2.7 References ............................................................................................................................ 19 3.0 Stony Coral Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 21 3.1 What is measured? .............................................................................................................. 21 3.2 Why is it measured? ............................................................................................................ 21 3.3 What is needed? ................................................................................................................... 22 3.4 How are data collected? ...................................................................................................... 24 3.5 How are data managed? ...................................................................................................... 29 3.6 How are indicators calculated? .......................................................................................... 29 3.7 References ............................................................................................................................ 31 4.0 Marine Gorgonian Assessment .......................................................................................................... 33 4.1 What is measured? .............................................................................................................. 33 4.2 Why is it measured? ............................................................................................................ 33 4.3 What do we need?................................................................................................................ 34 4.4 How are data collected? ...................................................................................................... 37 iii 4.5 How are data managed? ...................................................................................................... 38 4.6 How are indicators calculated? .......................................................................................... 38 4.7 References ............................................................................................................................ 39 5.0 Marine Sponge Assessment ............................................................................................................... 40 5.1 What is measured? .............................................................................................................. 40 5.2 Why is it measured? ............................................................................................................ 40 5.3 What do we need?................................................................................................................ 41 5.4 How are data collected? ...................................................................................................... 42 5.5 How are data managed? ...................................................................................................... 45 5.6 How are indicators calculated? .......................................................................................... 45 5.7 References ............................................................................................................................ 46 6.0 Reef Rugosity, Live Coral Cover and Macroinvertebrate Assessments .......................................... 47 6.1 What is measured? .............................................................................................................. 47 6.2 Why is it measured? ............................................................................................................ 47 6.3 What do we need?................................................................................................................ 48 6.4 How are data collected? ...................................................................................................... 49 6.5 How are data managed? ...................................................................................................... 50 6.6 How are indicators calculated? .......................................................................................... 51 6.7 References ............................................................................................................................ 51 Appendix A: Other Coral Reef Assessment Programs ........................................................................... 53 Appendix B: Survey Data Sheets and Data Check List ........................................................................... 55 Appendix C: Fish Species Codes, Biomass Coefficients and Trophic Guild Assignments ................... 69 Appendix D: Estimating Surface Area of Gorgonians and Sponges ...................................................... 79 iv List of Figures Figure 1-1: Coral reef communities provide benefits to humans ...............................................1 Figure 1-2: Coral reefs provide coastal protection .....................................................................5 Figure 1-3: Benthic hard bottom maps .......................................................................................7 Figure 2-1: Fish contribute valuable ecological and economic services ..................................14 Figure 2-2: Fish must be identified to species ..........................................................................15 Figure 2-3: Diagram of fish survey transect using two divers ..................................................17 Figure 2-4: Fork length for different types of fish ....................................................................17 Figure 3-1: