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National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (CCMA)
Weekly Report – August 15, 2007
CCMA and NPS Monitoring of Boundary Habitats May Improve Management of Marine Protected Areas in Virgin Island Park
Scientists from the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) recently returned from their yearly research mission to St. John, US Virgin Islands, July 9-26, 2007, where they continue to evaluate the health of coral reef resources both inside and outside park boundaries. CCMA’s Biogeography Branch, working in collaboration with the US Geological Survey, National Park Service (NPS), and the NPS South Florida/Caribbean Network, and with support from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, evaluated habitats in and around the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument and Virgin Islands National Park. CCMA scientists expanded the investigation of fish movement in relation to MPA boundaries, seeking to define essential fish habitat (EFH) and evaluating the effectiveness of MPAs. Reef fish were tagged and released, data from the 30 existing acoustic hydrophones (receivers) were downloaded, and an additional ten receivers were deployed. For more information, contact Kimberly Woody at (301) 713-3028 x229 or at Kimberly.Woody@noaa.gov, or visit http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/ecosystems/coralreef/reef_fish.html . [03M00043, 06M00092] (CCMA)