NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Ecosystem Sciences Division, National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified random surveys (StRS) of reef fish in the U.S. Pacific Islands

The stationary point count (nSPC) method is used by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD; formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) to conduct reef fish surveys in the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas. The first iteration of the nSPC surveys were conducted as part of the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) from 2008-2012. In 2013 the reef fish surveys, and Pacific RAMP, became part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP).

The nSPC method catalogs the diversity (species richness), abundance (numeric density) and biomass (fish mass per unit area) of diurnally active reef fish assemblages in shallow-water (less than 30 m) hard-bottom habitats. Visual estimates of benthic cover and topographic complexity are also recorded, with benthic organisms grouped into broad functional categories (e.g., 'Hard Coral', 'Macroalgae'). A stratified random sampling (StRS) design is employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems throughout the U.S.-Pacific regions. For all regions, the survey domain encompasses the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats and the stratification includes island, reef zone, and depth, with the exception of the Main Hawaiian Islands that includes habitat structure type as well. Sampling effort is allocated based on strata area.

Reef fish and benthic estimate data provided in this data set were primarily collected during ESD-led research cruises funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) as part of Pacific RAMP or NCRMP. Additionally, data collected during Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument led research cruises to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands from 2007 to 2017, and PIFSC annual Reef Fish Survey cruises from 2014 to 2016 in Guam, the main Hawaiian Islands, and American Samoa, respectively, are also included as these data are funded separately from but are complementary to the CRCP-funded data.

定点计数法（stationary point count，nSPC）由美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration，NOAA）太平洋岛屿渔业科学中心（Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center，PIFSC）生态科学部（Ecosystem Sciences Division，ESD，前身为珊瑚礁生态部）采用，用于在夏威夷群岛、马里亚纳群岛、美属萨摩亚以及太平洋偏远岛区开展礁鱼类调查。nSPC调查的首轮实施工作于2008年至2012年间开展，作为太平洋礁评估与监测计划（Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program，RAMP）的组成部分。2013年，礁鱼类调查与太平洋RAMP项目一同纳入美国国家海洋和大气管理局国家珊瑚礁监测计划（National Coral Reef Monitoring Program，NCRMP）。
nSPC方法可对浅水区（水深小于30米）硬质底质生境中的昼行性礁鱼类群落的多样性（物种丰富度）、丰度（数值密度）以及生物量（单位面积鱼类总质量）进行编目统计。同时还会记录底栖覆盖度与地形复杂度的目视评估结果，底栖生物被划分为多个宽泛的功能类别（例如‘硬珊瑚’‘大型藻类’）。该调查采用分层随机抽样（stratified random sampling，StRS）设计，对美国太平洋辖区内的珊瑚礁生态系统开展调查。在所有调查区域中，调查范围覆盖绝大多数已测绘的礁体与硬质底质生境区域；分层变量涵盖岛屿、礁区以及水深，但主夏威夷群岛除外——其分层变量还额外纳入了生境结构类型。抽样工作量依据各分层的面积进行分配。
本数据集所提供的礁鱼类与底栖生物评估数据，主要由ESD牵头的科研航次采集，这些航次由美国国家海洋和大气管理局珊瑚礁保护计划（Coral Reef Conservation Program，CRCP）资助，作为太平洋RAMP或NCRMP项目的组成部分。此外，2007年至2017年间由帕帕哈瑙莫夸基亚国家海洋保护区（Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument）牵头开展的西北夏威夷群岛科研航次，以及2014年至2016年间PIFSC分别在关岛、主夏威夷群岛和美属萨摩亚开展的年度礁鱼类调查航次所采集的数据，也被纳入本数据集——这些数据虽由不同渠道资助，但与CRCP资助的数据互为补充。