Larval Distribution and Supply 2015-2018

Fisheries oceanography research cruises were conducted aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster from 2015-2018. The research conducted was aimed at answering the following questions:

1) How do the abundance and composition of ichthyoplankton around Grammanik Bank and other similar banks change with space and time?

2) How much of this variation in abundance and composition can be explained by the oceanographic setting?

3) How do the oceanography and ichthyoplankton assemblages' interface with the boundary areas of seasonally or permanently closed MPAs?

We sampled settlement-stage larvae in conjunction with an oceanographic (biological, physical and chemical) survey of the bank system, coral reef environs, and inshore waters of the USVI, with emphasis on present and possible future MPAs. Surveys included bongo and one meter multiple open and closing net environmental sampling system (MOCNESS) trawl tows, as well as CTD02/LADCP casts profiling, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, light transmission, chlorophyll, and water velocity. Continuous surface measurements of temperature, salinity, light transmission, chlorophyll, and water velocity were collected via the ship's flow-through system and hull-mounted ADCP. Independent temperature profiles were obtained using XBT.

Finally, satellite-tracked, Lagrangian surface drifters were deployed to assess regional ocean circulation. Stations directed at the Virgin Islands were designed along transects that allowed for sampling near shore, along the shelf edge, and offshore. Depending on the location along the sampling transects, various biological and/or physical oceanographic sampling methods were used.

To observe variation in ichthyoplankton abundance and composition in the region due to oceanographic processes

We measured seawater properties and collected icthyoplankton samples at sites in Puerto Rico, the USVI, and the BVI. Results from the survey should provide a better understanding of regional spatial variation in the supply of settlement-stage fishes between managed and non-managed areas across the region, as well as insights into the relative importance of Grammanik Bank as a source of juvenile fishes recruiting to the waters of the VI.

Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) is the highest-valued Atlantic tuna species on the market today. The species is an important export for American fishermen, with a majority of the product going to Japanese markets. The United States also imports ABT for consumption from a number of nations.

In an effort to improve our understanding of ABT spawning activity and the environmental conditions affecting the western Atlantic stock, we propose to sample areas adjacent to confirmed spawning grounds (the Gulf of Mexico) in the US EEZ. During FOCUS B of our 2015 research cruise aboard NF, we extended our annual ABT larval survey to the western Caribbean, the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, and Florida Straits in an effort to determine the extent of ABT spawning in this region. Additionally, we used adaptive sampling methods to further develop a larval habitat model. Identifying the relationships between ABT larvae and physical oceanographic gradients will greatly enhance current understanding of the early life history dynamics of this species. This work will also provide useful information on larval bluefin abundance and distribution for the entire Gulf of Mexico and western Caribbean. We anticipate that this work will reduce the variance in the calculation of the ABT larval index, which should lead to improved stock assessments across the region

2015 11 April 2015 through 02 June 2015 (NF-15-02/03)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea from 2015-04-10 to 2015-04-12 (NCEI Accession 0240401)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean from 2015-04-12 to 2015-04-22 (NCEI Accession 0240492)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea from 2015-04-26 to 2015-05-05 (NCEI Accession 0240500)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea from 2015-05-09 to 2015-05-20 (NCEI Accession 0240508)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea, Coastal Waters of Florida, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico, and North Atlantic Ocean from 2015-05-22 to 2015-06-02 (NCEI Accession 0240597)

Underway data collected on Nancy Foster from 2015-04-12 to 2015-05-05 (NCEI Accession 0129874)

Underway meteorological, navigational, optical, physical and time series data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean from 2015-05-10 to 2016-05-30 (NCEI Accession 0129840)

EM710 Water Column Sonar Data Collected During NF1502-03

2016 28 April 2016 through 25 June 2016 (NF-16-02/03)

ADCP data collected on Nancy Foster from 2016-04-28 to 2016-05-02 (NCEI Accession 0269326)

ADCP data collected on Nancy Foster from 2016-05-07 to 2016-05-08 (NCEI Accession 0269631)

ADCP data collected on Nancy Foster from 2016-05-10 to 2016-05-19 (NCEI Accession 0277546)

ADCP data collected on Nancy Foster from 2016-05-23 to 2016-05-30 (NCEI Accession 0269954)

ADCP data collected on Nancy Foster from 2016-06-02 to 2016-06-07 (NCEI Accession 0270357)

ADCP data collected on Nancy Foster from 2016-06-08 to 2016-06-17 (NCEI Accession 0270546)

Underway meteorological, navigational, physical and time series data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean from 2016-04-28 to 2016-05-27 (NCEI Accession 0164860)

Underway meteorological, navigational, physical and time series data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea from 2016-06-01 to 2016-06-02 (NCEI Accession 0170596)

2017 14 April 2017 through 03 May 2017 (NF-17-03)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean from 2017-04-14 to 2017-04-25 (NCEI Accession 0278741)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea, Coastal Waters of Florida, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico, and North Atlantic Ocean from 2017-04-28 to 2017-05-02 (NCEI Accession 0278791)

2018 06 June 2018 through 24 June 2018 (NF-18-03)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean from 2018-06-06 to 2018-06-13 (NCEI Accession 0280111)

ADCP data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean from 2018-06-16 to 2018-06-24 (NCEI Accession 0280185)

Underway meteorological, navigational, physical and time series data collected aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean from 2018-05-29 to 2018-06-24 (NCEI Accession 0182308)