Saipan Coral Nursery Fragment Growth and Parent Colony Fragmentation with the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project (SCNPP) in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) since 2019

The data described here result from parent colony fragmentation collection and the monitoring of the fragment growth in the coral nursery through the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project (SCNPP). Parent colony survey data includes genus and species identification, collection site information including: latitude, longitude, reef name, reef zone, depth, and tag number.

Fragment growth data from the nursery includes: the nursery identifier, parent colony identifier, fragment code, genus and species name, presence/absence, and growth data.

Scoping surveys were conducted at potential parent colony collection sites around Saipan to confirm the presence of healthy target coral species for collection. Surveys were conducted in both Forereef and Lagoon reef types. Fragments were collected using an appropriate cutting tool from parent colonies of five target coral species including: Acropora. pulchra, A. globiceps, A. aspera, A. abrotanoides, and A. muricata. Wild abundance and nursery capacity determined the number of parent colonies collected for each species.

Coral fragments were, and continue to be measured by following a three-dimensional survey design, tagged with a unique identifier, and transported immediately to the nursery site where they are attached to the nursery structures using monofilament fishing line. Each nursery tree has a PVC backbone with 10 fiberglass arms, each containing 10 holes, holding a total of 100 corals per tree with monofilament line. The trees are secured to the sea floor by duckbill anchors.

All nursery fragments are monitored for growth, survival and health status through measurement utilizing athree-dimensional survey design and visual surveys. All parent colonies are surveyed at least once after fragment collection to assess the healing process.

The data from the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

This project represents the first effort to develop a coral culturing and restoration program in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Funding has been provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) Habitat Conservation Division (HCD), and NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), and contracted to Johnston Applied Marine Sciences (JAMS). The primary local stakeholder included the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality Division of Coastal Resources Management (BECQ-DCRM), the Department of Lands and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).

The overarching goals of this project over the long-term are to maintain and enhance coral populations, including threatened species, through cultivation and propagation, restore coral reef ecosystem function, and improve reef resilience. The objectives of this contract were to support the scoping, construction, deployment, and monitoring of the first ocean-based coral nursery in the CNMI and the first coral nursery in the Pacific to work with a listed coral species (Acropora globiceps).

The CNMI NOAA Field Office

The Parent Colony Fragmentation data described here includes: Donor ID and code, Parent colony survey data includes genus and species identification, collection site information including: latitude, longitude, reef name, reef zone, depth, and tag number.

The Coral Nursery Fragment Growth data described here includes: Fragment growth data from the nursery includes: the nursery identifier, parent colony identifier, fragment code, genus and species name, presence/absence, and growth data.

While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

1) Data analyses should take all field exigencies into account. The most effective way to do this would be active collaboration with the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project dataset data steward and point of contact.

2) In all presentations, product releases, or publications using data generated by SCNPP, proper acknowledgement is expected. Citing the DOI (if available) is preferred, a non-DOI example is listed below.

3) Those utilizing the data are strongly urged to inform the SCNPP team of any errors and discrepancies that are discovered during the course of using these data. They are further urged to bring to the attention of the team all problems and difficulties encountered in using these data.

Example acknowledgment:

"This publication makes use of data products gathered by the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project (SCNPP), The CNMI NOAA Field Office, Pacific Island Regional Office (PIRO), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. The analysis and interpretations presented here are solely that of the current authors.”

Data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

None

All observers are briefed on measuring protocols prior to entering the water each time measurements are taken. All new and inexperienced observers are first trained on land using dead fragments and coral rubble and calibrated with an “expert” observer.

Handheld GPS units were used to mark parent colony and nursery site locations.

Three colony dimensions are measured: length (L; maximum colony diameter), width (W; maximum diameter perpendicular to the length axis), and height (H; maximum diameter of the plane perpendicular to the L/W plane). Individual branch lengths are measured as the length of the branch from the apex to the base, down the center axis of the branch (Johnson et al. 2011). All measurements are taken using a ruler or vernier calipers and recorded to the nearest 0.1 cm.

The same methods of data collection are used each time measurements are taken.

Observers review all data, including metadata, on the day of collection and again at data entry to check for errors. Additional QC procedures are built in to the database and include formatting and value checks to minimize entry of erroneous information. A final check is conducted by the data manager.

The data is captured on physical data sheets, then entered into an MS Access database, then data is exported and backed up onto google drive.

The parent colony fragmentation methodology and coral fragment growth monitoring three-dimensional survey method, employed by the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project team since 2019.