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Surveying the Vast Pacific Ocean

We conduct research, monitoring, and analysis of living marine resources and ecosystems across the U.S. Pacific Ocean.

Diver with underwater instruments and plots on a reef, surrounded by a school of anthias.

Our field research activities range from near-shore island ecosystems like coral reefs to open ocean ecosystems on the high seas. We collect data on ocean conditions, conduct coral reef ecosystem assessment and monitoring, provide benthic habitat maps, and remove marine debris. We use numerical ecosystem models to analyze the current structure and dynamics of marine environments, as well as to examine potential projections of future conditions, such as those resulting from climate change impacts. Because humans are a key part of the ecosystem, our research also includes social and economic aspects of fishery and resource management decisions. We also provide scientific support to international organizations.

Highlights and focus areas include:

Resources

Document

Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument: 2000–2016 Overview

This booklet provides an overview of key findings on corals, reef fish, and ocean conditions in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument …

Document

Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Mariana Archipelago: 2003–2007 Overview

This booklet provides an overview of key findings on corals, reef fish, and ocean conditions around the islands of the Mariana Archipelago collected…

Document

Coral Reef Ecosystems of American Samoa: 2002–2010 Overview

This booklet provides an overview of key findings on corals, reef fish, and ocean conditions around the islands and atolls of American Samoa…

Publications

Document

Tracking Changes on Fishery Economic Performance

– Continuous Economic Data Collection Programs for the Hawai'i and American Samoa Longline Fisheries 2005–2016

Peer-Reviewed Research

Combining Fish and Benthic Communities into Multiple Regimes Reveals Complex Reef Dynamics

Fish and benthic data from a wide range of sources are combined to identify five Hawaiian coral reef regimes.

Peer-Reviewed Research

Nocturnal Visual Census of Pelagic Fauna Using Scuba Near Kona, Hawai‘i

Evaluation of pelagic plankton community structure as observed on nighttime scuba dives and compared with environmental data.

Last updated by Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center on April 24, 2025