12221 Meso-American Larval Transport & Ecology Project Published / External 26121 Early Life History Project In Work Reef fish populations are part of one of the most complex ecosystems in the marine environment. They are also the most heavily exploited part of the ecosystem and have been pushed to extremely low levels throughout South Florida and the wider Caribbean. Despite the importance of these populations, relatively little is known about most stages of their life cycles or their interaction with small and mesoscale oceanographic patterns. Important information such as adult spawning behavior, location, and depth of spawning aggregations and recruitment is mostly unknown. Less is known about the status of these fish populations in the western Caribbean along the Meso-American reef system, though stocks there are generally considered to have suffered less exploitation. There are also significant gaps in our understanding of the complex circulation patterns along the western Caribbean Sea's Yucatan coast where the Caribbean Current and the Loop Current connect and flow into the Gulf of Mexico. This area plays a potentially important but still un-known role in the route of subtropical gyre circulation which drives the biological production and transport of larvae throughout this region. This research project is designed to provide a baseline study of the fisheries oceanography of the western Caribbean during winter spawning and provide a basis for future fisheries management decisions. What is the level of larval dispersal and recruitment connectivity within and amongst the Mesoamerican reef, the Dry Tortugas, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's reserves? Is there evidence of self-recruitment within these marine reserves? To observe variation in ichthyoplankton abundance and composition in the region due to oceanographic processes Funding Included NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program. Grant Number: 1244 Theme ISO 19115 Topic Category oceans Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > CENTRAL AMERICA Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > CENTRAL AMERICA > BELIZE Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > CENTRAL AMERICA > GUATEMALA Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > MEXICO Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA Platform Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords Ships Theme FINSS Theme coral Theme current Theme depth Theme gear Theme habitat Theme larval fish Theme oceanography parameters Theme reef fish Theme salinity Theme temperture Temporal 2006 Temporal 2007 Spatial Gulf of Mexico Spatial belize Spatial cabo camaron Spatial caribbean sea Spatial guatamala Spatial honduras Spatial mexico Spatial swan islands Platform ICES/SeaDataNet Ship Codes GORDON GUNTER (ICES code: 33GG) Platform NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter Southeast Fisheries Science Center Miami FL USA Project Data Steward 2006-01-01 2019 Person Lamkin, John Ground Condition -87.727 -86 21.564 18.123 Range 2006-03-10 2006-04-07 Range 2007-01-08 2007-01-31 Unclassified Available to qualified researchers Please contact data steward Available to qualified researchers Data set is not for use in litigation. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentations caused by inaccuracies in these data, or as a result of these data being used on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does distribution constitute any such warranty None Please Credit MAR Mesoamerican Reef MBRS Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System Measoamerican Coral Reef Location Coral Reef Alliance The reef system extends along the coast of four countries: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. It begins near Isla Contoy on the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and continues south alongside the Riviera Maya including areas like Cozumel and Banco Chinchorro. It then continues south down the eastern coast of Belize including many cayes and atolls. It extends past the north-east corner of Guatemala and ends near the Bay Islands of Honduras. 8863 Data Set gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:12221 Lee Weinberger 2012-04-09T10:09:15 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2025-05-15T19:15:54 2022-04-27 Southeast Fisheries Science Center SEFSC 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA (305)361-5761 www.sefsc.noaa.gov 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST 1001 Public No 2022-04-27 1 Year 2023-04-27