LPI Survey Protocols for 2013 and 2015 for the U.S. Caribbean and Flower Garden Banks

NCRMP is a broad-spatial snapshot for reef condition (i.e. fish species composition/density/size, benthic cover, and coral density/size/condition) to provide context for local-scale studies of tropical reef ecosystems. Data collection will occur at stratified random sites where the sampling domain for each region (e.g. Puerto Rico, USVI, Flower Garden Banks and Florida) is partitioned by habitat type and depth, sub-regional location (e.g. along-shelf position) and management zone. NCRMP is intended to supplement local monitoring efforts by providing large-scale data on reef fishes and the benthos.

Line point-intercept (LPI) sampling provides benthic cover estimates for ecologically important cover types/groups (e.g., macroalgae, turf algae, crustose coralline algae, corals, sponges, sand/sediment, etc.). This method is complementary to the NCRMP coral demographics sampling method that collects detailed information on scleractinian corals, including density, size and condition (percent mortality and bleaching) measurements

There are two versions of this document that may be downloaded , the 2013 version and the 2015 versions.