8863 Mesoamerican coral reef project Data Set Published / External 12221 Meso-American System Larval Transport & Ecology 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 Seas 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 Sanctuarys 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 Theme FINSS Theme Tuna Theme biological data Theme coral Theme current Theme depth Theme early life history data Theme environmental data Theme fisheries-independent data Theme gear Theme gordon gunther Theme physical oceanographic data Theme temperature Theme thermal fronts Theme zooplankton collections Temporal 2006 Temporal 2007 Temporal spring Spatial belize Spatial caribbean sea Spatial guatamals Southeast Fisheries Science Center Miami FL USA Location Of The Main Office Of The South East Fisheries Science Center Data Set Mixed As Needed Table (digital) PC Files Hull-mounted ADCP, flow-through TSG, CTD rosette, XBTs, satellite drifters NOAA Vessel Nets: 1-meter MOCNESS, 10-meter MOCNESS, juvenile fish trawl, light traps, settlement traps Data Steward 2006 2019 Person Lamkin, John Distributor 2006 Organization Southeast Fisheries Science Center SEFSC https://ror.org/0396y0w87 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA (305)361-5761 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center About SEFSC Online Resource 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST Metadata Contact 2019 2019 Person Lamkin, John Point of Contact 2006 2019 Person Lamkin, John Contact by email preferred. Ground Condition -87.99831666667 -85.712 21.7452 16.34401666667 Caribbean Sea Range 2006 2007 Unclassified N/A Available to qualified researchers Please contact data steward None 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 Larvae are identified using dichotomous keys and published literature, and colleagues in the field are consulted for confirmation and accuracy. No 0 Yes Yes No 365 This data is currently wavered under the current NOAA guidelines for relational databases. To Be Determined 365 The data resides on a secure government network requiring multi-factor authentication for network access. 1 Data from some gear types are recorded on paper forms in the field, then entered into Excel sheets and finally an Access database. Those gear which are run by computer programs generate data directly into computer files. These data sometimes must be extracted into Excel form, then uploaded to Access database. Identifications are directly entered into Excel spreadsheets. 70195 Document 70196 Document 22650 Document 24428 Data Set gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:8863 Lee Weinberger 2009-01-13T15:20:09 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2026-03-04T19:17:18 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 No 2022-04-27 1 Year 2023-04-27